If there has ever been any notable defect in Nikola Jokic’s game, it would be his play on the defensive end. Over the years, he has found a way to make it work with his size, incredible hands, and uncanny instincts and basketball IQ.
But in Team Serbia’s round of 16 match in EuroBasket, Finland took things to another level, relentlessly targeting Jokic, and dragging him out to the perimeter as much as possible. Jokic wants to play drop coverage and live in the paint and around the foul line on defense, but when teams make that difficult, he can be exposed.
That’s exactly what happened as Finland was able to exploit the matchup and get Jokic uncomfortable, defending out on an island against smaller, more agile players, far away from the basket and out of his comfort zone.
The strategy worked wonders, and Finland carved up Serbia with a shocking 92-86 upset to move onto the quarterfinals. For Serbia, it was a brutal, disappointing ending, and for Jokic specifically, it was eye-opening.
NBA teams will try to copy Finland’s strategy
NBA teams have been trying to attack Jokic for years, but he hasn’t been targeted like this in a while. The good news for the Nuggets is that they have many more capable, athletic defenders around Jokic than Serbia did. They can cover up many of his weaknesses in ways that his countrymen weren’t able to.
At the same time, NBA opponents are going to have a lot more firepower than Team Finland. They rode Lauri Markkanen, who is a great NBA player, but teams like the Thunder, Rockets, and Lakers have multiple players who can attack the basket and threaten defenses from the perimeter.
If the Nuggets still have a clear weakness, it’s on the defensive end, and it stems from them not having a true rim-protecting center. If teams can find a way to attack Jokic and make Denver pay with a combination of shooting and driving, it could spell trouble.
The Nuggets will have some counters, and they will likely always have another solid big man in the game. Guys like Aaron Gordon and DaRon Holmes should be able to act as secondary rim protectors, and the guards and wings should be able to scramble around on the perimeter to make it work.
But make no mistake about it, this is a worst-case scenario for the Nuggets and Jokic, and it was on full display for the world to see.