It shows you how far ahead of his peers Nikola Jokic is when you realize that when discussing the Nuggets-Clippers first-round playoff series, Jokic is almost an afterthought. Through two games, he’s averaging 27.5 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists per game, and yet, those numbers are fairly pedestrian for him.
We’ve almost become accustomed to Jok’s greatness and consistency. He is playing extremely well and putting up stupendous statlines, but that’s just the standard that he has set. He has made this his normal, and what you’re seeing each night has become the expectation for the best basketball player in the world.
But it’s not just the numbers that set him apart, it’s the way he views the game and the robotic consistency with which he plays the game that makes him truly special and puts the Joker in a class all by himself.
Bill Simmons compares Jokic to the Terminator
On Sunday’s episode of the Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons made a great comparison, likening Jokic to the Terminator. He’s like a machine, playing without doubt or emotion, simply reading the game, and making the right play over and over again.
It’s the reason why people aren’t making a huge deal about the fact that the biggest shots of this series have been taken by Christian Braun and Russell Westbrook. Jokic is going to make the right play no matter the situation, and no matter who is on the floor. He saw three defenders crowding him and Murray, and he instinctively flung the ball crosscourt to the wide-open player.
And he did it because it was objectively the right basketball play. He wasn’t thinking about the moment, that it was Westbrook receiving the pass, or anything like that. He just reacted to the game and made the right play.
Jokic can frustrate with his lack of selfishness
It’s incredible that this has become Jokic’s baseline and we count on him to make the right play every single time, but that’s the reality. LeBron had this element to his game briefly. Larry Bird, perhaps before him. But it’s extremely rare, and we’ve never seen anybody do it quite this consistently on this high of a level.
Ultimately, there are times when fans and coaches wish Jokic would be more selfish and make the “wrong” play. He is so talented that it often would still work out. We saw in the incredible Netflix Documentary, Court of Gold, how Jokic’s Serbian coaches were frustrated that he wouldn’t play more selfishly and look to score.
But that’s not how Jokic is programmed, and that’s what makes him who he is. There will be nights where he scores 40 and 50 points, but it’s because that’s what the other team is giving Denver. It’s not his preference, it’s not how he wants to play, and it’s often not successful. But whatever is called for, is what the Joker will do, for better or worse.