We’ve seen teams try to turn Nikola Jokic into a scorer, and it has proven to be an effective strategy at times. That’s exactly the strategy that the Clippers tried to employ on Wednesday night, but it backfired as the Joker put up 55 points en route to a big Nuggets win, 130-116.
Clippers’ head coach, Ty Lue, was asked about it after the game and responded, “Our game plan was to make him score and take away his passing… I didn’t think he would score 55.” This has been a major issue for teams trying to defend Jokic in the past, as you have to make concessions somewhere.
Jokic is at his best when he’s able to run the show and pick teams apart with his superior vision, getting everyone else involved, and scoring mostly out of necessity. But teams have to pick their poison, and those with the right personnel try to take away his passing game and make him a scorer.
It has worked at times; famously, we saw the Timberwolves use this move in the playoffs to perfection with their mass of large bodies to throw at him. That’s what the Clips tried to do on Wednesday, and it obviously didn’t work as Jokic completely went off, continuing his white hot shooting, making 18-23 shots and 5-6 threes.
When Jokic shoots like this, Nuggets are unstoppable
There are no great answers for dealing with Jokic, but taking away his passing and forcing him to score has proven to take him out of his comfort zone and hurt the Nuggets at times. But the way Jokic is scoring and shooting this year, that may not be a feasible option.
Through 11 games so far, Joker’s efficiency has been absolutely preposterous. He’s shooting less often, but he’s making 78% of his two-pointers, 41% of his threes, and 86% of his free throws.
His effective field goal percentage is 74% and his true shooting percentage is at 77%. Those gaudy numbers may not be sustainable for an entire season, but Jokic is on a heater for the ages right now. Thanks to his new teammates, he’s getting better looks than he has in a long time, maybe ever.
His playmaking certainly hasn’t taken a step back as Jokic will still tear teams to shreds when given the chance. But now his shooting seems to have caught up with his passing. He was already one of the best offensive players in the history of the game, but now, Jokic may truly be unstoppable.