As with most things in life and basketball, leave it to Nikola Jokic to be the voice of reason. The now 30-year-old Serbian three-time MVP has taken over the NBA, but he’s done it in a way that has shown a calm, reserved poise. He never tries to make a moment about himself, but the story always gravitates toward him and his greatness.
Jokic is a man of few words, especially when he is not speaking in his native Serbian tongue. When giving interviews in English, he is generally short, blunt, and to the point. He doesn’t mince words and he doesn’t waste words.
He’ll tell it like it is and he answers almost any question posed to him with a brutal honesty that shows he doesn’t really care what people think or if they choose to aggregate his words. Even when Jokic chooses to crack a joke or use sarcasm, he does it in a perfectly Jokic-esque way, with a smooth deadpan that can often leave the audience wondering if he was actually joking at all.
So it should come as no surprise that Jokic gave a near-perfect answer when asked to explain what’s wrong with the NBA’s All-Star weekend and how to fix it. Last weekend’s event went down with little fanfare and much criticism from fans, media, and players alike.
Jokic says fans should “focus on other things”
In his conversation with Bennett Durando of the Denver Post, Jokic said of the All-Star Game, “I think maybe we should focus on some other things than All-Star. I think it’s always going to be like this, so we should accept it”.
It’s a jarringly frank assessment of the situation, but it’s also the most level-headed. Everyone is looking for some big change or dramatic fix to this situation and Jokic is just keeping it real; it is what it is. The game and the whole weekend are an exhibition to honor players and entertain fans.
We don’t need some big referendum each year on fixing something that’s not really a problem. The NBA is in great shape; the league has more talent and competition than ever. We get an amazing regular season and even better playoffs.
The price we pay for a grueling season is an All-Star break that proves to be just that for star players; a break. The NBA can try all sorts of quick fixes and gimmicks, but in reality, players need this break and they really shouldn’t be overtaxing themselves anyway.
Just enjoy it for what it is. Or don’t. Players aren’t ever going to magically start trying and fans of those teams shouldn’t even want that. I, for one, am grateful that Jokic consistently mails it in during All-Star weekend and saves every ounce of energy he has for the games that matter.