Nikola Jokic is in the form of his life and has guided his franchise, Denver Nuggets to the NBA Finals. They swept the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 in the Western Conference finals to progress forward. After losing Game 4, LeBron James was very impressed with Jokic and he praised the Serbian for all his heroics this season.
“Everybody gets cracked up about his stats,” James said, “but I don’t think a lot of people talk about [his basketball IQ]… or maybe it’s not talked about cause people don’t understand it. But I do. And he’s special,” James stated.
Jokic dropped 30 points in Game 4 along with 14 rebounds, 13 assists and three blocks. He was simply indomitable by the Lakers’ defence. He even dropped an off-balance contested three-pointer over LeBron.
Jokic is proving why he won successive MVP titles in the last two seasons. He also created history en route to the finals as he broke Wilt Chamberlain’s triple-double record in the playoffs. He registered his eighth triple-double in this playoffs. In this year’s playoffs, Jokic is averaging 29.9 points (53.8% shooting, including 47.4% from 3-point range), 13.3 rebounds, and 10.3 assists.
Jokic has proven that he is elite and will only get better from here. Not only he is a great scorer, his ability o run the game and provide assists is simply supreme. He is definitely one of the best players in the world and will only get better from here.
After the Game 4 win, Nuggets coach Michael Malone spoke to 6y1 media and slammed Jokic’s haters. He pointed out how the triple-doubles are real and effective. “What he’s doing is real. The MVPs are real. The triple-doubles are real,” Malone said. “All the narratives this year are just silly and somewhat ignorant. Nikola has gone through 3 rounds now, where he’s averaging a triple-double in the playoffs. Have you seen any stat padding out there? Give him his damn respect,” Malone highlighted.
Jokic is just four wins away from securing his first NBA Championship. The Nuggets will either play the Miami Heat or the Boston Celtics. The Serb is just getting warmed up and will only get better from here.
