Nikola Jokic's a three-time MVP award winner, he's got 186 triple-doubles, second all-time, and he's leading the league in both assists and rebounds. And now, his mental toughness is being mentioned in the same breath as Kobe and LeBron.
Draymond Green lauded the mental toughness of the Serbian big man from Sombor on his podcast, The Draymond Green Show. "Most mentally tough guy...I would say Nikola Jokic." Green said. Green continued, "I would say as of recent. I played against Kobe Bryant, I played against LeBron James."
It's high praise from Green, and it's a feather Nuggets fans can stick in their caps right now. Jokic's taken the reins from the prior greats and asserted himself in the conversation.
And knowing that the Joker's held in such high regard about the one thing we need him to keep during his "rough patch," that mental clarity, certainly helps us keep the faith that better days are ahead.
There's one thing that gets under the Jokers skin
Green had more to say, "There is nothing that really gets under his skin. There's nothing that bothers him." Well, there's definitely one thing, and we saw that on full display against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It just wasn't something that took the Joker out of his game.
Lu Dort took a cheap shot with a hip check at Jokic in the fourth quarter of the Nuggets loss to the Thunder that ended with Dort's ejection and Jokic looking like he was actually auditioning for a role as the real Joker. Jokic rightfully stood up for himself and the dirty play, calling it an "unnecessary move, and a necessary reaction."
That's the mental fortitude that Green was referencing when he put Jokic at the top of the list. It's the reaction we all expected, honestly. The Joker doesn't back down.
Jokic's going to have to play better in the clutch
We know his mental fortitude is at an all-time great level, and we've seen Jokic be incredible in the clutch in the past. But he's really going to have to turn things around over the Nuggets' final stretch. Jokic's been playing much more poorly than fans are used to, and the Nuggets have lost many more close games than ever before.
However, Jokic and the Nuggets are getting a huge boost in the coming days as Aaron Gordon is expected to return to the lineup with 20 games left in the season. The Nuggets have been a completely different team on defense when Gordon, a defensive stopper, is on the floor, and his presence will likely be felt immediately.