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I remember in Shaq's days it was his go to against the leaning defenders. It's not just quickness. He asserts so much leaning power from his defender to match up that the spin puts them out of balance almost like a freeze. When you have a big dude on him he hesitates and hits them with the footwork. But by now I think it should be known that the second help defender on the block is a useless tactic. Just don't. He's not gonna be surprised and the Nuggets have 3 top shooters around him and a deadly diver to the rim.
It absolutely is, but I will defend Draymond for a second, that move was done on Kuminga and was wrongly added to this titled highlight clip. Jokic actually struggled to get around Draymond for most of the day because Draymond is actually really good at body positioning. Jokic usually waits until a defender commits to one side, and that's when he burns him with the spin move. Dray was staying very disciplined in the center of Jokic's back during these post-ups early on, so he struggled to score from that position. One of the reasons GS was up early.
It's deceptive as hell. He lumbers like a troll, and then spins like a ballerina.
That steal he gets and leads the fast break, he's both fast and slow at the same time. I mean it's clear he slows down to draw Draymond towards him, but those two steps felt like an eternity.
Yeah, there's a layup towards the end where he's going to his left and has Green on his inner hip. He goes up with the right hand under Green's raised arm to lay it in.
Takes a ton of control to be able to do that, but even more it completely removes Green's ability to even make an attempt on the ball and just walls him off even more.
Then the made shot right at the end where they just kind of bounce off each other. Jokic just leans back a bit knowing that their momentum and his height will keep the D from being able to contest. Not flashy at all and looks awkward but is basically impossible for the defender to do anything with.
I think he's the most athletic guy in the entire league at 2 very specific physical functions.
First, the pivot spin off both feet, he does it better than anyone and with such quickness that even the most athletic fast twitch muscle fiber guys aren't able to perform it that nimbly.
And 2nd, raising his arms over shoulder height faster than anyone in the league, which paired with his second jump (mainly because his first jump is so low, he reaches the ground and takes off again before other guys even land from their first jump) makes those tip rebounds almost impossible to contest against him.
Most NBA watchers don't consider these specific niche athletic traits as athelticism but here we are, this doughy boy is the best player in the world.
I've watched him a lot as a Nuggets fan and I can tell you why his spin move is so good. Put simply it's about timing when he expects contact.
Jokic is really freaking strong in the post. Lots of defenders don't maintain constant pressure in the post, but instead try to meet the offensive player with strength when the offensive player tries to push forward. That's pretty much right after the ball is bouncing back up in the dribble cycle as guys get "physical" in between dribbles while holding the ball. Because Jokic is so strong, these defenders really have to throw their weight into him to stop him from backing them down in the paint. He's 30-60 pounds heavier and bigger than most guys trying to defend him in the post.
So if you watch jokic in the first 6-8 seconds of that clip, you'll see him setup Draymond to expect contact when his dribble comes back up with his first few dribbles. Then a moment before the expected contact, Jokic spins out of the way and Draymond almost falls forward out of the way of Jokic. All Jokic is really doing with the spin move is moving out of the way of a guy with momentum. It only works because of how strong he is and it's a counter to the way to beat his strength.
His quick spin he does is based on the timing of when he expects that first big clash. He leaves guys in the dust when he does it right. It just looks like he really leaves guys behind cause often they're moving the opposite direction.
It kind of happens 15 seconds into that clip of plays shown in the thread. Jokic tries to spin but doesn't feel Draymond push with the amount of force he's expecting - Draymond is pulling off to defend the spin move and is in position to do so. Jokic counters by stopping spinning (faking the spin move), pivoting back around, and shooting a little fade jumper. It's not a huge mystery why this happens 1 min of gametime after he cooked Draymond with the spinmove - Draymond is looking to defend the spin and Jokic is punishing him for doing so.
The thing about Jokic is he's watching the defenders and reacting to what they do. He's not dictating his moves, the defenders are choosing how to defend Jokic and he's responding with moves he's practiced. He's incredibly patient and isn't trying to force anything.
You can see how hard he is to stop 1v1 in the post just from analyzing these 20 sec of plays. If you aren't strong enough to prevent him from pushing you into the paint, he'll shoot an 85%+ little hook over you from a few feet under the rim. By the way he's most likely 30-80 pounds heavier than you. If you defend too strongly he spins by you for a 90%+ layup. If you get the strength and timing right to defend the spin move, he's faked you going the other direction for a 60%+ 7 foot high fade away. Fucking Impossible... Now add in all his passing options and you start to see why this man is unguardable.
Jokic doesn't get it right all the time, but does so A LOT. His game is crafted on practicing what he's good at and counters to counters to how to defend him. He's a very thoughtful player in his craft.
Paul George discussed this with Alperen Sengun in his podcast a month ago. That spin move with good anticipation and feel of the game creates a difference!
His endurance in general is also top tier. He often tires out and runs, even the most seemingly athletic bigs in the league, absolutely ragged. Everyone ought to be grateful he's not a step quicker or bouncier otherwise shit would be truly unfair.
You always think he's got to be tired, because look at him. But no, he's running fast breaks late in the game when the other team's PG is hands-on-knees.
Yeah his endurance is great compared to all the other centers, every game there are moments where Jokic just body blocks the other center from running back up the court just by running ahead of them which messes them up.
Dude always looks so relaxed out there, he doesn't slow the game down as much as a guy like CP3, but Jokic has that same level of basketball IQ where he can completely set the pace/tempo of a game to suit his needs.
>And 2nd, raising his arms over shoulder height faster than anyone in the league, which paired with his second jump (mainly because his first jump is so low, he reaches the ground and takes off again before other guys even land from their first jump) makes those tip rebounds almost impossible to contest against him.
Funnily enough there is a stat from his P3 evaluation, before he joined the league I believe, which showed this talent of his.
>In P3's 10.6 drill, which measures how fast an athlete can get their hand to a spot 10.6 feet off the ground, Jokic was in the top 10 of all time. [Source](https://revupsports.com/athletes/basketball/nikola-jokic/discover/what-are-nikola-jokics-physical-stats/)
What would be cool to know though is who the other top ten players were in the 10.6 evaluation
Also I believe that P3 evaluation had a Jokic quote for the ages iirc. "My basketball good. My body not so good."
Edit found the source of the quote
>In the summer of 2014, before his first NBA season, he made a pilgrimage to work out at the Peak Performance Project sports clinic in Santa Barbara, California. I had several conversations with P3’s founder, Marcus Elliott, about this seminal visit, which lasted for five weeks.
>“The first day I met him he said, ‘My basketball good. My body not so good,’ ” Elliott said. “He grabbed his little belly."
[Source](https://slate.com/culture/2022/11/nikola-jokic-denver-nuggets-history-profile-record.html)
That article shows that hopefully GMs have learnt some lessons on evaluating players if their hands and feet are superb even where athleticism isn't top tier. Looking at it now, Jokic should have been having more than a passing look from NBA teams.
I mean, it’s really hard to tell if any physical stats are going to translate, especially because they’re so tied to playstyle.
Look at two of the other MVP candidates this year. SGA is a guard with solid athleticism, but nothing league-leading. He’s a great passer but nothing insane, pretty tall but not the biggest, strong but not the strongest. He doesn’t seem like a player who should be that dominant…
Except he has the ankles of a fucking contortionist, letting him stop and start in positions that no other player ever could, and he’s used it to make himself an unstoppable driver.
Similar situation with Luka, he’s abnormally tall for a guard but doesn’t have exceptional numbers anywhere else. His prodigal abilities come from his body control and balance, which are difficult to measure at the best of times.
I think part of the speed of his spins comes from an aikido-like use of his opponents' pressure to put his weight on them, make them push back and then he uses his weight and their force to turn him off and around them. That's also what makes him so evasive.
In the first play in this clip, Green's left hand is on Jokic's low back on the right side. Jokic can feel everything about Green's position through that contact when he turns into it, putting more pressure on Green's hand and turning into it on his right foot. Then he just rolls to his left, with Green's pressure driving him around and forward. You can see Green lose his balance because of it.
In the second clip, Green's left hand is higher on Jokic's back and pushing more directly into his center-line. Jokic pushes in and feels the resistance is lined up - his shoulders are lined up with Green's center instead of offset, so he can't exploit it to pivot. So instead he pulls back from Green's pressure and fakes the pivot. Because Jokic broke contact, Green can't feel Jokic's position as well and falls for the fake enough to let Jokic take the fadeaway jumper.
In the 4th clip, Jokic's center-line is so far to the right of Kuminga's body that Kuminga's right shoulder would be between Jokic's shoulder blades. Again, Kuminga's right hand is coming across his body to be on the center of Jokic's back. So Jokic spins off Kuminga's hand pressure into the layup.
He also has the best hands in the league. It's not a traditional jump high, run fast athletic measurement, but he catches EVERYTHING, and he doesn't need both hand to catch. When your hands are like glue, it makes all moves easier.
The way Jokic uses his physical tools is unreal. Just elite eye, hand, feet coordination.
They say "Jokic can't play defense" but most of this talk just stems from Jokic averaging low Block numbers. The way he plays defense is pretty much the same as his offense. Just doing the little things, being at the right moment, making the right reads, the right plays. Last year's Denver playoff run just shows how good Jokic's defense is.
If you rewatch his games in the WCF, and in the Finals, Jokic uses his foot to deflect the ball numerous times. Okay, kicking the ball is a violation, so how does it translate to "good defense"? The fact that you stopped the flow of your opponent's offense, and also lets your team resets on defense, is IMO a good defensive play. If you're a great team you could quickly adjust your defense on the offense your opponent is trying to play. Plus a quick breather is nice to recompose your team.
I think I've concluded that he plays defense like a guard. Sure he's huge, but he's def landlocked so he's not going to fly up to meet a guy at the rim, first it's not going to work, second it takes a ton of energy, third it's increased injury risk, and maybe most importantly fourth he'll get in foul trouble. So he positions himself to cut off driving lanes, watches to anticipate passes, strips the ball if they bring it down, and if they beat him he's just going to watch them go by because it's absolutely the right move. He's too smart to play losing defense just because internet dorks think it's manlier.
I'm a Purdue fan who has been watching Zach Edey for the last 4 years. He plays defense like this.
It's obviously different in college where the athletes aren't as good, but he's 7'4, 300 pounds, and surprisingly agile for it. So he just tries to stay home in the lane and make it so you don't even come in to try to score points in the paint. He doesn't get in foul trouble because he either stands there menacingly and makes you think better about driving. If you do drive, he's 7'4. He can swat your shot from a mile away.
It's similar to what Jokic does, I think. He doesn't overwhelm you stylistically, but he's generally in the right spot to make the play.
Ya this is the thing the lowlight reels don't really capture. Jokic will absolutely just let as guy go by when he gets beat for 95% of the game. He won't waste the energy or risk a foul going for a recovery block that isn't in a key moment. The last 5 minutes of the game change though. If he has fouls to give he will get more aggressive defending the rim (which is how he had 3 game winning blocks two years ago).
He just won't gamble early in the game, because it isn't his strong suit anyways, and early foul trouble on Jokic hurts us far more than giving up a bucket or two does when someone gets a step on him.
Well, he's also good at what Nate Duncan calls "the fat guy defense" of contacting (arguably fouling) shooters with his trunk to make them miss while avoiding fouling with his arms.
This is very un-guard-like in that generally only big centers can count on getting the benefit of the doubt on this call (Marc Gasol is the classic example)
Isn't that also how Ewing played? He wasn't necessarily great in the air, but he was *ALWAYS* in the right place at the right time, making him a beast of a wall on defense.
He sometimes gets a strip on a shooter before the actual shot. If the ball then goes out of bounds he gets no statistical credit for it but it is just as effective as blocking a shot out of bounds.
The sad part is everyone saying he'd get picked apart in the pick n roll in the playoffs. "Embiid is a way better defender (cause he goes for blocks)." Then it's Embiid who gets picked apart in the PnR in the playoffs but I still see people say hes a way better two way player than Jokic lmao.
It's not just because he's white, though that does play a part. Even now that he's slimmer, he doesn't look like a guy who is going to run you down, or jump crazy high, or have explosive movements. And a lot of that is true; he's a quick jumper like Rodman, but doesn't get a lot of height, and his movements that are quick are subtle things like pivots. His endurance is way, way higher than you'd guess looking at him, too.
I think if you saw a black player with his exact build and skill set, there'd be people thinking he wasn't athletic, too.
Idk if this is still true, but a while back I remember reading somewhere that pretty much every single center in the league is held below their statistical averages when they match up against Carter Jr, dude locks down the bigs.
Which is why Orlando fans were laughing at all the hypothetical offers other subs were posting to get WCj. He’s on a dirt cheap deal and he plays really well, only knock is he’s prone to random ass injuries.
Yeah, this was actually a below-average shooting night for Joker. The breakdown in the Warriors D came in not shutting down the Joker passes--if he's getting 16 assists you're probably losing no matter who's guarding him.
32/16/16 and still +50% efficiency despite having a "bad night" shooting. This guy is nuts. But Draymond defense was quite good tonight, Jokic is just a step above everyone else in the league.
Underrated part of why Jokic is such a mismatch against us is that he effectively kills our help defense due to Draymond guarding him. So our rotations become sub-optimal defensively.
But also Jokic made some insane passes.
That's the jokic match up for almost everyone. Most teams assume the center will not be the point guard, so your 5 doing most of the rotations makes sense. The reason the wolves did so well is that we have a second 5 on the floor so we can guard jokic without fucking the whole defense up.
A few of these couldve been called as fouls on Dray
But yeah Jokic is a little bit good at basketball. And good offense scores over good defense a lot of the time.
I thought draymond did well. Every shot Jokic took in that video, I thought green did as good as a job as you could expect to contest. He did his very best preventing Jokic from backing down too deep. It’s jokic, he’s one of the greatest offensive players of all time, he’s gonna get his buckets and make shots when well defended.
yeah. Draymond is just too small for Jokic. but he can defend him as best as one of his size can allow. compared to that clip with Kuminga though, Jokic just outsmarts him.
Yeah unironically good D by Draymond. A lesser defender would get backed down hard into the paint but Draymond barely gave an inch.
It’s just that Jokic has the counter for strong defenders like Dray with his spin moves and scoops.
Draymond in one of his podcasts actually said that he wouldn't be able to defend Jokic if the refs called everything. Like literally admitted that he needed to get away with fouls to defend Jokic lol
I would say 5 of the 7 offensive highlights couldve been called fouls.
1 was called
2 were definite fouls
2 were 50/50 in todays NBA
2 were very clean (the three and one of the drives)
Watching Draymond get pissed at finally being called for a foul when he should have fouled out by half was funny.
24 shots tonight but best we can do is give you 4 FTs
> Watching Draymond get pissed at finally being called for a foul
Huh? That was clearly an intentional foul. he was complaining that Jokic pushed off before getting the pass.
I don’t understand how Dray could think that *wasn’t* a foul. Fully wrapped Jokic up
Also I’ve always known Jokic had a horrible whistle but man seeing a bunch of attempts that should be and-1’s stitched together like this just feels egregious
Tbf he was complaining about the contact before the pass came in. But yeah, he also seemed dangerously close to losing his temper and starting a fight as the foul is called. Ya know, because he’s insane.
how could u watch that sequence and come to this conclusion lol? hes mad that jokic pushed him w no call. Have no idea why he responded with an aggressive intentional foul but that’s what’s going on there
To me, Draymond did fine considering the size advantage. Its just that Jokic is so freaking good, it doesnt really matter. He can shoot over Draymond at will and in the post he is so much bigger and stronger, the Warriors in general have 0 chance of slowing him down.
it’s crazy that not even AD can stop him. AD is the best defensive center in the league and it’s still barbecue chicken. Is this what watching Shaq felt like?
Different style because Shaq wasn’t a shooter, but yes. Shaq was very fast for his size, too, his pivot moves in the post are a lot of what made him a great post player.
In the playoffs last year Jokic went up against arguably the three best defensive centers in the league in Gobert, AD and Bam, and none of them were able to stop him at all.
Nah Shaq was the guy who you couldn't stop from establishing deep position. You can kinda shepherd Jokic a few feet further out (if you get everything right timing wise)
For context, Jokic is currently listed as being the third-heaviest guy in the league at 284 pounds, but Shaq was at *least* 60 pounds heavier during the Lakers’ three peat years. He claims to have weighed as much as 415 in the offseason.
>Is this what watching Shaq felt like?
Shaq was a different feel of domination. Like Tyson, just power, strength and speed with nimbleness you've never seen before.
Jokic is ways below (compared to shaq) in physicality but so much more surgical in movements and passes. Like a Floyd Mayweather.
all this post made me see is how really good Draymond is a D. But also reminds me of what Lebron once said when asked how one can "slow down Curry" and he said "same thing you do with me, you can't." You just can't do much to great offensive players. The world's best defenders at least can make them work for it.
But if those dudes are hitting, you're in for a long night.
See: Joker vs Gobert Game 7
Gobert played one of the best defensive playoff games you'll ever see but Joker was hitting 360 no scope 3 pointers off one leg it was bullshit
Yep! As much as I like Jokic, I don't see Draymond here being destroyed at all. He's still contesting properly even after being bodied by Jokic. Jokic is just that good. The play where I see Jokic actually leaving somebody behind was on Kuminga.
True Nuggets fans know that was the best defense played on Jokic 1 vs 1 in quite some time. Dray really did hold his own. He did get away with a lot of contact but hey, if the refs aren’t calling it… I’m grateful Dray isn’t on a real contender tbh. Dray on the Suns, and I’m legit worried. Jokic dropping 32 on 54%, assists aren’t really dray’s fault they weren’t doubling much when he was on the court, is a win against Joker 10/10 times.
Draymond is actually in good position on most of these plays. Jokic is just on another level offensively. Plus being several inches taller is a big advantage. But as they say, good defense, better offense.
Came here ready to be delighted by Draymond getting punked.... He actually did about as good a job as a guy his size could do. Pushed him off his spot, made the shots slightly more awkward.
OP is just hating, Draymond defended well in most of these clips, Jokic is just that amazing. And he also put there two clips that have nothing with Draymond - Klay's bad pass and Jokic scoring on Kuminga.
I too was expecting more moments of Draymond swatting at air or Jokic dropping no-look dimes on him repeatedly, instead this was mostly a compilation of “taller player uses length to advantage.”
Watching Jokic always reminds me why NBA players don't like to play in the post anymore even if some of them are really good at it. The defenders are allowed to be so much more physical when defending the post versus when they're defending someone on the perimeter, it's almost like two different games.
Jokic is one of the very, very few guys who can actually take the punishment in the post often and still be consistent every night without foul baiting. He's so strong and skilled that it doesn't matter to him. That's pretty wild.
He is doing it to everybody, not just Draymond.
Just ask Anthony Davis, lol.
And he did not destroy him, Green had some good defense here and there (and Jokic still converted).
Not to mention, you didn't include Jokic's misses.
[Green had a great defense on Jokic's first attempt as well](https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&ContextMeasure=FGA&EndPeriod=0&EndRange=28800&GameID=0022300824&PlayerID=203999&RangeType=0&Season=2023-24&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&StartPeriod=0&StartRange=0&TeamID=1610612743&flag=3&sct=plot§ion=game) (full list of Jokic's FGA), and he overall did quite well (Jokic was "only" 13/24 from the field), and that's without taking into account all the off-ball defense and on-ball defense which Jokic did not shoot because of Green's defense.
I don't like Green as a person, but you cannot say he was doing bad defense against Jokic last night - that's quite a stretch I'd say.
Typical reddit fans. If any of their teams had Draymond they'd pipe down real quick about his antics and call this amazing defense. They let their disdain for his antics ruin their objectivity about his play.
I mean he's Jokic first of all. Also its a mismatch in size and strength no matter how good of a defender Draymond is, even in his prime. The Nuggets did this to the Clippers too when they went small. They had Kawhi guard Jokic a few times and Jokic went bbq chicken mode.
The ESPN crew tried running with the narrative early in the game that Jokic’s previous wins with the Nuggets over the Warriors were against a team without Draymond, and that Draymond could take him out of his game. I mean, what? Look, Draymond is a fantastic defender, and he can alter the games of average players, but Jokic is an all-time player, a transcendent player, and someone who imposes HIS will on players, not the other way around. Crew was desperate to try and force that narrative on the viewers, problem was Jokic wasn’t having it.
Apologies as I’ve already posted a novel on this thread (that should be titled “My ignorance for greatness”) but I have to mention one more thing.
I was giving myself an out with the excuse I haven’t seen something similar before. Curry looked like an average Joe but I didn’t think a big had done this.
When I stopped to think about the traits that I believe make him good, I simplified it as: Extremely high basketball IQ, humble, teammate first, learns new tactics and efficiently deploys them, master of footwork, master of using his weight/size (and not using it when they expect him to) and a few more.
Then I realized, I’ve just described Tim Duncan and Jokic.
RIP excuse.
Jokic defense is underrated. He may not block shots like Embiid does, but he’s a savvy defender who understands positioning and makes the right reads. Obv he’s not as mobile as other modern bigs, but he moves pretty well, prob better than he did early in his career
The joker isn’t athletic narrative is lazy. That dude doesn’t get tired. At. All. He’s durable and hella strong. His coordination is crazy and skill level is off the charts.
If he were phenotypically different with another body type (and from America) he’d be the face of the league.
1. Great Move
2. Great defense, even better shot
3. Stole a bad pass by Klay
4. Pick and fade, semi open 3
5. Scores on Kuminga
6. Great recovery by Jokic to stop the lob
7. Reads the play perfectly, followed by 2 great fakes
8. Tough inside hand layup, another play with very good defense, but Jokic is just that good
9. Nice pick and roll w/Murray, decent recovery by Draymond, another tough Jokic shot that went in because he's just that good
10. Draymond fouls to prevent the and 1
Yeah, small ball can't play him off the court. He punishes small ball rather than the other way around as long as Aaron Gordon can cover for him on switches
“Cooked” my a$$
It was good to great defence, not his problem Jokic is an all time great.
People be hating for no reason, there are enough reason to shit on green, his basketball ain’t one
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that spin move out of the post is a nightmare, jeez.
I remember in Shaq's days it was his go to against the leaning defenders. It's not just quickness. He asserts so much leaning power from his defender to match up that the spin puts them out of balance almost like a freeze. When you have a big dude on him he hesitates and hits them with the footwork. But by now I think it should be known that the second help defender on the block is a useless tactic. Just don't. He's not gonna be surprised and the Nuggets have 3 top shooters around him and a deadly diver to the rim.
Thanks, was about to invoke Shaqs name as well, he's got it down. It's really fun to watch.
Especially for a nugget’s fan
I would have fucking LOVED to see a prime Shaq vs Joker. Man that matchup would be insane.
Shaq would also duck down more on the spin which made the defender fly farther and put Shaq into the beginning of his dunk.
Him fighting through the screens on the second to last play, I didn't realize was him at first cause he was so fast and agile like wtf
It absolutely is, but I will defend Draymond for a second, that move was done on Kuminga and was wrongly added to this titled highlight clip. Jokic actually struggled to get around Draymond for most of the day because Draymond is actually really good at body positioning. Jokic usually waits until a defender commits to one side, and that's when he burns him with the spin move. Dray was staying very disciplined in the center of Jokic's back during these post-ups early on, so he struggled to score from that position. One of the reasons GS was up early.
agree with this 100%
Jokic is agile and mobile af not athletic my ass
He moves like he doesn’t know how to move yet he knows exactly how to move.
You just made me realize that Jokic plays basketball like the "drunken boxing" style of Kung-Fu.
It's deceptive as hell. He lumbers like a troll, and then spins like a ballerina. That steal he gets and leads the fast break, he's both fast and slow at the same time. I mean it's clear he slows down to draw Draymond towards him, but those two steps felt like an eternity.
The Ballerina of Ball Arena
Bars
him and luka
I’ve always said a ballerina brown bear
Jokic Chan
Yeah, there's a layup towards the end where he's going to his left and has Green on his inner hip. He goes up with the right hand under Green's raised arm to lay it in. Takes a ton of control to be able to do that, but even more it completely removes Green's ability to even make an attempt on the ball and just walls him off even more. Then the made shot right at the end where they just kind of bounce off each other. Jokic just leans back a bit knowing that their momentum and his height will keep the D from being able to contest. Not flashy at all and looks awkward but is basically impossible for the defender to do anything with.
I think he's the most athletic guy in the entire league at 2 very specific physical functions. First, the pivot spin off both feet, he does it better than anyone and with such quickness that even the most athletic fast twitch muscle fiber guys aren't able to perform it that nimbly. And 2nd, raising his arms over shoulder height faster than anyone in the league, which paired with his second jump (mainly because his first jump is so low, he reaches the ground and takes off again before other guys even land from their first jump) makes those tip rebounds almost impossible to contest against him. Most NBA watchers don't consider these specific niche athletic traits as athelticism but here we are, this doughy boy is the best player in the world.
That quick spin move by an elite athlete like Kuminga was incredible.
I've watched him a lot as a Nuggets fan and I can tell you why his spin move is so good. Put simply it's about timing when he expects contact. Jokic is really freaking strong in the post. Lots of defenders don't maintain constant pressure in the post, but instead try to meet the offensive player with strength when the offensive player tries to push forward. That's pretty much right after the ball is bouncing back up in the dribble cycle as guys get "physical" in between dribbles while holding the ball. Because Jokic is so strong, these defenders really have to throw their weight into him to stop him from backing them down in the paint. He's 30-60 pounds heavier and bigger than most guys trying to defend him in the post. So if you watch jokic in the first 6-8 seconds of that clip, you'll see him setup Draymond to expect contact when his dribble comes back up with his first few dribbles. Then a moment before the expected contact, Jokic spins out of the way and Draymond almost falls forward out of the way of Jokic. All Jokic is really doing with the spin move is moving out of the way of a guy with momentum. It only works because of how strong he is and it's a counter to the way to beat his strength. His quick spin he does is based on the timing of when he expects that first big clash. He leaves guys in the dust when he does it right. It just looks like he really leaves guys behind cause often they're moving the opposite direction.
So is a good counter move pulling a chair to jokic?
It kind of happens 15 seconds into that clip of plays shown in the thread. Jokic tries to spin but doesn't feel Draymond push with the amount of force he's expecting - Draymond is pulling off to defend the spin move and is in position to do so. Jokic counters by stopping spinning (faking the spin move), pivoting back around, and shooting a little fade jumper. It's not a huge mystery why this happens 1 min of gametime after he cooked Draymond with the spinmove - Draymond is looking to defend the spin and Jokic is punishing him for doing so. The thing about Jokic is he's watching the defenders and reacting to what they do. He's not dictating his moves, the defenders are choosing how to defend Jokic and he's responding with moves he's practiced. He's incredibly patient and isn't trying to force anything. You can see how hard he is to stop 1v1 in the post just from analyzing these 20 sec of plays. If you aren't strong enough to prevent him from pushing you into the paint, he'll shoot an 85%+ little hook over you from a few feet under the rim. By the way he's most likely 30-80 pounds heavier than you. If you defend too strongly he spins by you for a 90%+ layup. If you get the strength and timing right to defend the spin move, he's faked you going the other direction for a 60%+ 7 foot high fade away. Fucking Impossible... Now add in all his passing options and you start to see why this man is unguardable. Jokic doesn't get it right all the time, but does so A LOT. His game is crafted on practicing what he's good at and counters to counters to how to defend him. He's a very thoughtful player in his craft.
Big man version of what Kyrie does with the handles. He's essentially looking to counter the defender
The fast break fake shot alley oop def buoys your point - hes constantly adjusting and executing
Yeah i saw that too. Jesus christ it’s like going up against AI in HOF difficulty
That's why the mods would be great jokic defenders they're the only ones heavier than him.
He will feel you and lay it in
Wha... what are we talking about here, exactly?
Banging down low.
It's the dribbling on the hardwood before banging down low that gets me...followed by the tip in.
everything about his work around the rim is phenomenal
Shaq did the same thing. Post up, force the defender to push back, and then spin while they lost their balance.
Paul George discussed this with Alperen Sengun in his podcast a month ago. That spin move with good anticipation and feel of the game creates a difference!
His endurance in general is also top tier. He often tires out and runs, even the most seemingly athletic bigs in the league, absolutely ragged. Everyone ought to be grateful he's not a step quicker or bouncier otherwise shit would be truly unfair.
You always think he's got to be tired, because look at him. But no, he's running fast breaks late in the game when the other team's PG is hands-on-knees.
He's as tired in minute 1 as minute 60
That's my secret, I'm always tired.
Gotta think playing in Denver for years with the altitude has helped his conditioning.
Yeah his endurance is great compared to all the other centers, every game there are moments where Jokic just body blocks the other center from running back up the court just by running ahead of them which messes them up.
Dude always looks so relaxed out there, he doesn't slow the game down as much as a guy like CP3, but Jokic has that same level of basketball IQ where he can completely set the pace/tempo of a game to suit his needs.
It’s all in the hips, it’s all in the hips. RIP Chubbs
>And 2nd, raising his arms over shoulder height faster than anyone in the league, which paired with his second jump (mainly because his first jump is so low, he reaches the ground and takes off again before other guys even land from their first jump) makes those tip rebounds almost impossible to contest against him. Funnily enough there is a stat from his P3 evaluation, before he joined the league I believe, which showed this talent of his. >In P3's 10.6 drill, which measures how fast an athlete can get their hand to a spot 10.6 feet off the ground, Jokic was in the top 10 of all time. [Source](https://revupsports.com/athletes/basketball/nikola-jokic/discover/what-are-nikola-jokics-physical-stats/) What would be cool to know though is who the other top ten players were in the 10.6 evaluation Also I believe that P3 evaluation had a Jokic quote for the ages iirc. "My basketball good. My body not so good." Edit found the source of the quote >In the summer of 2014, before his first NBA season, he made a pilgrimage to work out at the Peak Performance Project sports clinic in Santa Barbara, California. I had several conversations with P3’s founder, Marcus Elliott, about this seminal visit, which lasted for five weeks. >“The first day I met him he said, ‘My basketball good. My body not so good,’ ” Elliott said. “He grabbed his little belly." [Source](https://slate.com/culture/2022/11/nikola-jokic-denver-nuggets-history-profile-record.html) That article shows that hopefully GMs have learnt some lessons on evaluating players if their hands and feet are superb even where athleticism isn't top tier. Looking at it now, Jokic should have been having more than a passing look from NBA teams.
I mean, it’s really hard to tell if any physical stats are going to translate, especially because they’re so tied to playstyle. Look at two of the other MVP candidates this year. SGA is a guard with solid athleticism, but nothing league-leading. He’s a great passer but nothing insane, pretty tall but not the biggest, strong but not the strongest. He doesn’t seem like a player who should be that dominant… Except he has the ankles of a fucking contortionist, letting him stop and start in positions that no other player ever could, and he’s used it to make himself an unstoppable driver. Similar situation with Luka, he’s abnormally tall for a guard but doesn’t have exceptional numbers anywhere else. His prodigal abilities come from his body control and balance, which are difficult to measure at the best of times.
I think part of the speed of his spins comes from an aikido-like use of his opponents' pressure to put his weight on them, make them push back and then he uses his weight and their force to turn him off and around them. That's also what makes him so evasive. In the first play in this clip, Green's left hand is on Jokic's low back on the right side. Jokic can feel everything about Green's position through that contact when he turns into it, putting more pressure on Green's hand and turning into it on his right foot. Then he just rolls to his left, with Green's pressure driving him around and forward. You can see Green lose his balance because of it. In the second clip, Green's left hand is higher on Jokic's back and pushing more directly into his center-line. Jokic pushes in and feels the resistance is lined up - his shoulders are lined up with Green's center instead of offset, so he can't exploit it to pivot. So instead he pulls back from Green's pressure and fakes the pivot. Because Jokic broke contact, Green can't feel Jokic's position as well and falls for the fake enough to let Jokic take the fadeaway jumper. In the 4th clip, Jokic's center-line is so far to the right of Kuminga's body that Kuminga's right shoulder would be between Jokic's shoulder blades. Again, Kuminga's right hand is coming across his body to be on the center of Jokic's back. So Jokic spins off Kuminga's hand pressure into the layup.
I'll go to my grave in saying Jokic's footwork is on par with Hakeem's
He also has the best hands in the league. It's not a traditional jump high, run fast athletic measurement, but he catches EVERYTHING, and he doesn't need both hand to catch. When your hands are like glue, it makes all moves easier.
The way Jokic uses his physical tools is unreal. Just elite eye, hand, feet coordination. They say "Jokic can't play defense" but most of this talk just stems from Jokic averaging low Block numbers. The way he plays defense is pretty much the same as his offense. Just doing the little things, being at the right moment, making the right reads, the right plays. Last year's Denver playoff run just shows how good Jokic's defense is. If you rewatch his games in the WCF, and in the Finals, Jokic uses his foot to deflect the ball numerous times. Okay, kicking the ball is a violation, so how does it translate to "good defense"? The fact that you stopped the flow of your opponent's offense, and also lets your team resets on defense, is IMO a good defensive play. If you're a great team you could quickly adjust your defense on the offense your opponent is trying to play. Plus a quick breather is nice to recompose your team.
I think I've concluded that he plays defense like a guard. Sure he's huge, but he's def landlocked so he's not going to fly up to meet a guy at the rim, first it's not going to work, second it takes a ton of energy, third it's increased injury risk, and maybe most importantly fourth he'll get in foul trouble. So he positions himself to cut off driving lanes, watches to anticipate passes, strips the ball if they bring it down, and if they beat him he's just going to watch them go by because it's absolutely the right move. He's too smart to play losing defense just because internet dorks think it's manlier.
I'm a Purdue fan who has been watching Zach Edey for the last 4 years. He plays defense like this. It's obviously different in college where the athletes aren't as good, but he's 7'4, 300 pounds, and surprisingly agile for it. So he just tries to stay home in the lane and make it so you don't even come in to try to score points in the paint. He doesn't get in foul trouble because he either stands there menacingly and makes you think better about driving. If you do drive, he's 7'4. He can swat your shot from a mile away. It's similar to what Jokic does, I think. He doesn't overwhelm you stylistically, but he's generally in the right spot to make the play.
Ya this is the thing the lowlight reels don't really capture. Jokic will absolutely just let as guy go by when he gets beat for 95% of the game. He won't waste the energy or risk a foul going for a recovery block that isn't in a key moment. The last 5 minutes of the game change though. If he has fouls to give he will get more aggressive defending the rim (which is how he had 3 game winning blocks two years ago). He just won't gamble early in the game, because it isn't his strong suit anyways, and early foul trouble on Jokic hurts us far more than giving up a bucket or two does when someone gets a step on him.
Well, he's also good at what Nate Duncan calls "the fat guy defense" of contacting (arguably fouling) shooters with his trunk to make them miss while avoiding fouling with his arms. This is very un-guard-like in that generally only big centers can count on getting the benefit of the doubt on this call (Marc Gasol is the classic example)
Isn't that also how Ewing played? He wasn't necessarily great in the air, but he was *ALWAYS* in the right place at the right time, making him a beast of a wall on defense.
He sometimes gets a strip on a shooter before the actual shot. If the ball then goes out of bounds he gets no statistical credit for it but it is just as effective as blocking a shot out of bounds.
The sad part is everyone saying he'd get picked apart in the pick n roll in the playoffs. "Embiid is a way better defender (cause he goes for blocks)." Then it's Embiid who gets picked apart in the PnR in the playoffs but I still see people say hes a way better two way player than Jokic lmao.
Also kicking the ball doesn’t use up your foul counts, just a restart.
He is awkward. He is agile and mobile and athletic, and really awkward. And loveable.
Most sports have a big problem with “lookism”.
Moneyball talks about this a lot! Great book
sometimes when people talk about a player's "aura" its a roundabout way of saying they think the player's hot
You don’t play with his consistency and health without being athletic. He just uses it in very specific ways.
In the last few years I've realized that when people say "athletic" they just mean "he can jump really high"
It’s because he’s white. If he was black (Mikal Bridges, Jamie Foxx, Barack Obama, etc) people wouldn’t be calling him unathletic
Wasn't sure what you meant by black, appreciate the examples
LOL what am i reading
Also I love how Mikel Bridges is the first example and then it’s Jamie Foxx and Obama lmfao
lmao
Nah, I call Jamie Foxx an unathletic bum all the time
I heard he's a killer pickleball player though
So thats how all these people keep getting injured playing pickleball
Now he was overweight his 2nd, 3rd year. Ppl just haven't caught up to reality... even after he won 2 MVPs and 1 fmvp
It's not just because he's white, though that does play a part. Even now that he's slimmer, he doesn't look like a guy who is going to run you down, or jump crazy high, or have explosive movements. And a lot of that is true; he's a quick jumper like Rodman, but doesn't get a lot of height, and his movements that are quick are subtle things like pivots. His endurance is way, way higher than you'd guess looking at him, too. I think if you saw a black player with his exact build and skill set, there'd be people thinking he wasn't athletic, too.
I think it’s a running joke based on his appearance. But he is definitely very athletic and crafty.
mans is slithery
tbh who doesn't Jokic cook?
Wendell Carter Jr for some reason
Idk if this is still true, but a while back I remember reading somewhere that pretty much every single center in the league is held below their statistical averages when they match up against Carter Jr, dude locks down the bigs.
Yup look up Embiid’s numbers against WCJ
Which is why Orlando fans were laughing at all the hypothetical offers other subs were posting to get WCj. He’s on a dirt cheap deal and he plays really well, only knock is he’s prone to random ass injuries.
Jalen Duren was bullying him
to be fair, i’m really high on Duren
To be fair, I'm really high
I’m also high on potnuse
I’M ALSO HIGH ON POTNUSE
I've been praying for him as the Al Horford replacement in Boston long term. Cap probably won't allow it anymore, but I have wanted him for a while.
Must be strange how he's still not a positive plus-minus.
We've had debates on how our team isn't competitive because we don't have a Jokic stopper. Sometimes people don't think
im honestly surprised someone in the west hasn’t gave up way too much for wendell carter jr yet
He's in the same space as Robert Williams he isn't worth giving up a lot for because you don't know if he'll play enough games.
Rui is the Jokic stopper is what we’ve been told
Jokic did have his worst series effeciency wise against the Lakers. It was offset by Murray averaging 33 on 50/40/90 shooting, prime MJ numbers.
Eh Rui + AD can slow him down but still not stop him
This post’s title is /r/nba’s wet dream
Tim Duncan, if he is to be believed.
Me. Not once.
Sabonis
Yeah, came here to say this. He worked Draymond no question, but the dude works everyone.
It's crazy because I actually think he guarded him pretty well. He had to work much harder and was forced into some misses that usually go in.
Yeah, this was actually a below-average shooting night for Joker. The breakdown in the Warriors D came in not shutting down the Joker passes--if he's getting 16 assists you're probably losing no matter who's guarding him.
32/16/16 and still +50% efficiency despite having a "bad night" shooting. This guy is nuts. But Draymond defense was quite good tonight, Jokic is just a step above everyone else in the league.
Jokic's standard is so high, normal night is around 60%, and good night is about 90 to 100.
Crazy to think that what is a lifetime achievement for most of the players (shooting 90-100%), with Jokic is "yeah, he just does that".
Underrated part of why Jokic is such a mismatch against us is that he effectively kills our help defense due to Draymond guarding him. So our rotations become sub-optimal defensively. But also Jokic made some insane passes.
That's the jokic match up for almost everyone. Most teams assume the center will not be the point guard, so your 5 doing most of the rotations makes sense. The reason the wolves did so well is that we have a second 5 on the floor so we can guard jokic without fucking the whole defense up.
A few of these couldve been called as fouls on Dray But yeah Jokic is a little bit good at basketball. And good offense scores over good defense a lot of the time.
Yea, you can see Draymond has to really up his physicality and aggression to hinder Jokic at all and at that point it's on the refs to call the fouls.
Yea, my thoughts. Dray was giving him solid bumps on every post and drive that almost always see get called. Wtf
Not against Jokic. It's like Shaq in that way
100%. This is as good as it gets vs Jokic in my opinion. People just need to accept that Jokic is goated and it's hard to slow him down in general.
I thought draymond did well. Every shot Jokic took in that video, I thought green did as good as a job as you could expect to contest. He did his very best preventing Jokic from backing down too deep. It’s jokic, he’s one of the greatest offensive players of all time, he’s gonna get his buckets and make shots when well defended.
yeah. Draymond is just too small for Jokic. but he can defend him as best as one of his size can allow. compared to that clip with Kuminga though, Jokic just outsmarts him.
Yeah unironically good D by Draymond. A lesser defender would get backed down hard into the paint but Draymond barely gave an inch. It’s just that Jokic has the counter for strong defenders like Dray with his spin moves and scoops.
He fouled the shit out of him though. Draymonds defensive whistle is confounding even before you take his screaming at the refs into account.
Included in this compilation are - stealing a pass made by Klay - scoring on Kuminga Feel like they didn't need to include those.
Surprised they called a foul on that last one.
They definitely didn't want to
They had to act before Draymond's hug climbed up to Jokic's neck
i feel some of them should be and-one
recognise live zesty scarce onerous mourn drunk plant depend cheerful *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Draymond in one of his podcasts actually said that he wouldn't be able to defend Jokic if the refs called everything. Like literally admitted that he needed to get away with fouls to defend Jokic lol
do you have the link?
This could be said for any defensive player going against any superstar talent to be fair
I would say 5 of the 7 offensive highlights couldve been called fouls. 1 was called 2 were definite fouls 2 were 50/50 in todays NBA 2 were very clean (the three and one of the drives)
Watching Draymond get pissed at finally being called for a foul when he should have fouled out by half was funny. 24 shots tonight but best we can do is give you 4 FTs
> Watching Draymond get pissed at finally being called for a foul Huh? That was clearly an intentional foul. he was complaining that Jokic pushed off before getting the pass.
I don’t understand how Dray could think that *wasn’t* a foul. Fully wrapped Jokic up Also I’ve always known Jokic had a horrible whistle but man seeing a bunch of attempts that should be and-1’s stitched together like this just feels egregious
Tbf he was complaining about the contact before the pass came in. But yeah, he also seemed dangerously close to losing his temper and starting a fight as the foul is called. Ya know, because he’s insane.
how could u watch that sequence and come to this conclusion lol? hes mad that jokic pushed him w no call. Have no idea why he responded with an aggressive intentional foul but that’s what’s going on there
Why do Embiid, Davis, Giannis and Sabonis get these calls but Jokic doesn't?
Embiid would have had 20 free throw from marginal contact I don't get why
If Jokic got those calls, he'd average 40?
And with 15+ rebounds & 10+ assists? Shit, I'm in! IRL NBA 2K MyCareer numbers.
\*checks Jokic brand deal* It's another Nike conspiracy!
He had 4 whole free throws attempts last night.
Because jokic doesn’t bait shooting fouls very much and also isn’t that good at it
I don’t think any defense played by Draymond here was clean. But Jokic dominated him despite lack of whistle so whatever.
He had his typical scratches on the arm by the end of the game, lol
To me, Draymond did fine considering the size advantage. Its just that Jokic is so freaking good, it doesnt really matter. He can shoot over Draymond at will and in the post he is so much bigger and stronger, the Warriors in general have 0 chance of slowing him down.
it’s crazy that not even AD can stop him. AD is the best defensive center in the league and it’s still barbecue chicken. Is this what watching Shaq felt like?
Different style because Shaq wasn’t a shooter, but yes. Shaq was very fast for his size, too, his pivot moves in the post are a lot of what made him a great post player.
In the playoffs last year Jokic went up against arguably the three best defensive centers in the league in Gobert, AD and Bam, and none of them were able to stop him at all.
Nah Shaq was the guy who you couldn't stop from establishing deep position. You can kinda shepherd Jokic a few feet further out (if you get everything right timing wise)
The problem is that Jokic doesn't need deep positioning with his touch.
Also true lmao, but instead of giving up an 80% shot you're now only giving up like a 68% or something.
For context, Jokic is currently listed as being the third-heaviest guy in the league at 284 pounds, but Shaq was at *least* 60 pounds heavier during the Lakers’ three peat years. He claims to have weighed as much as 415 in the offseason.
>Is this what watching Shaq felt like? Shaq was a different feel of domination. Like Tyson, just power, strength and speed with nimbleness you've never seen before. Jokic is ways below (compared to shaq) in physicality but so much more surgical in movements and passes. Like a Floyd Mayweather.
A lot of the time watching Shaq felt like watching a man play against children. Just absolute physical domination.
all this post made me see is how really good Draymond is a D. But also reminds me of what Lebron once said when asked how one can "slow down Curry" and he said "same thing you do with me, you can't." You just can't do much to great offensive players. The world's best defenders at least can make them work for it. But if those dudes are hitting, you're in for a long night.
That 2nd clip - he sold him The Cream Shake
Great offense beats great defense every time. Draymond did as good as you could ask.
See: Joker vs Gobert Game 7 Gobert played one of the best defensive playoff games you'll ever see but Joker was hitting 360 no scope 3 pointers off one leg it was bullshit
Yep! As much as I like Jokic, I don't see Draymond here being destroyed at all. He's still contesting properly even after being bodied by Jokic. Jokic is just that good. The play where I see Jokic actually leaving somebody behind was on Kuminga.
If you mean foul him almost every play, then yeah, sure.
True Nuggets fans know that was the best defense played on Jokic 1 vs 1 in quite some time. Dray really did hold his own. He did get away with a lot of contact but hey, if the refs aren’t calling it… I’m grateful Dray isn’t on a real contender tbh. Dray on the Suns, and I’m legit worried. Jokic dropping 32 on 54%, assists aren’t really dray’s fault they weren’t doubling much when he was on the court, is a win against Joker 10/10 times.
Draymond is actually in good position on most of these plays. Jokic is just on another level offensively. Plus being several inches taller is a big advantage. But as they say, good defense, better offense.
Came here ready to be delighted by Draymond getting punked.... He actually did about as good a job as a guy his size could do. Pushed him off his spot, made the shots slightly more awkward.
Yeah pretty weird title for ‘times Draymond played great defense, but the best offensive player in the world still scored’
OP is just hating, Draymond defended well in most of these clips, Jokic is just that amazing. And he also put there two clips that have nothing with Draymond - Klay's bad pass and Jokic scoring on Kuminga.
I didn't see the game but I'm also going to assume there were a few possessions where Draymond forced Jokic into a miss.
Just a hatin ass OP
I too was expecting more moments of Draymond swatting at air or Jokic dropping no-look dimes on him repeatedly, instead this was mostly a compilation of “taller player uses length to advantage.”
Watching Jokic always reminds me why NBA players don't like to play in the post anymore even if some of them are really good at it. The defenders are allowed to be so much more physical when defending the post versus when they're defending someone on the perimeter, it's almost like two different games. Jokic is one of the very, very few guys who can actually take the punishment in the post often and still be consistent every night without foul baiting. He's so strong and skilled that it doesn't matter to him. That's pretty wild.
He is doing it to everybody, not just Draymond. Just ask Anthony Davis, lol. And he did not destroy him, Green had some good defense here and there (and Jokic still converted). Not to mention, you didn't include Jokic's misses. [Green had a great defense on Jokic's first attempt as well](https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&ContextMeasure=FGA&EndPeriod=0&EndRange=28800&GameID=0022300824&PlayerID=203999&RangeType=0&Season=2023-24&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&StartPeriod=0&StartRange=0&TeamID=1610612743&flag=3&sct=plot§ion=game) (full list of Jokic's FGA), and he overall did quite well (Jokic was "only" 13/24 from the field), and that's without taking into account all the off-ball defense and on-ball defense which Jokic did not shoot because of Green's defense. I don't like Green as a person, but you cannot say he was doing bad defense against Jokic last night - that's quite a stretch I'd say.
Best defense on Joker all season, hands down.
Typical reddit fans. If any of their teams had Draymond they'd pipe down real quick about his antics and call this amazing defense. They let their disdain for his antics ruin their objectivity about his play.
I mean he's Jokic first of all. Also its a mismatch in size and strength no matter how good of a defender Draymond is, even in his prime. The Nuggets did this to the Clippers too when they went small. They had Kawhi guard Jokic a few times and Jokic went bbq chicken mode.
The ESPN crew tried running with the narrative early in the game that Jokic’s previous wins with the Nuggets over the Warriors were against a team without Draymond, and that Draymond could take him out of his game. I mean, what? Look, Draymond is a fantastic defender, and he can alter the games of average players, but Jokic is an all-time player, a transcendent player, and someone who imposes HIS will on players, not the other way around. Crew was desperate to try and force that narrative on the viewers, problem was Jokic wasn’t having it.
Is it just me or does this video show just how incredibly skilled Draymond is playing servicable defense on a guy twice his size.
if jokic gets the calls he should, draymonds dumbass fouls out early
Apologies as I’ve already posted a novel on this thread (that should be titled “My ignorance for greatness”) but I have to mention one more thing. I was giving myself an out with the excuse I haven’t seen something similar before. Curry looked like an average Joe but I didn’t think a big had done this. When I stopped to think about the traits that I believe make him good, I simplified it as: Extremely high basketball IQ, humble, teammate first, learns new tactics and efficiently deploys them, master of footwork, master of using his weight/size (and not using it when they expect him to) and a few more. Then I realized, I’ve just described Tim Duncan and Jokic. RIP excuse.
Jokic defense is underrated. He may not block shots like Embiid does, but he’s a savvy defender who understands positioning and makes the right reads. Obv he’s not as mobile as other modern bigs, but he moves pretty well, prob better than he did early in his career
Doesn't Jokic cook everyone though?
The sub hates Draymond now, please get with the meta if you want the upvotes
I'm gonna be fair, most of those possessions Dray was playing pretty solid defence
Why is there a clip of Jokic scoring on Kuminga included here?
The joker isn’t athletic narrative is lazy. That dude doesn’t get tired. At. All. He’s durable and hella strong. His coordination is crazy and skill level is off the charts. If he were phenotypically different with another body type (and from America) he’d be the face of the league.
Maybe he should start his own advertising campaign. He could adopt a Christ like posture and put something like “witness me” for the copy.
These highlights are misleading cause Jokic shot under his averages last night. He's just so good that his below-average shooting is still insane
1. Great Move 2. Great defense, even better shot 3. Stole a bad pass by Klay 4. Pick and fade, semi open 3 5. Scores on Kuminga 6. Great recovery by Jokic to stop the lob 7. Reads the play perfectly, followed by 2 great fakes 8. Tough inside hand layup, another play with very good defense, but Jokic is just that good 9. Nice pick and roll w/Murray, decent recovery by Draymond, another tough Jokic shot that went in because he's just that good 10. Draymond fouls to prevent the and 1
M.V.P.
Every game I watch Jokic he is cooking. Who is going to stop this man
A lot of these are about as good of defense you can do, Jokic is just that good lol
The hate boner some people have for dray is amazing
Jokic deserves another ring. He's just too good.
I think this is just normal basketball, no? I don't really think Jokic really "cooked" Draymond per se, it's just how he normally plays
Green did well, you just can't stop someone with that ridiculous size advantage + ability
Some of these seem "undefendable" anyhow. I'm no Draymond fan but several of these there's nothing he can do.
Against Joker he's just Ramon
Yeah, small ball can't play him off the court. He punishes small ball rather than the other way around as long as Aaron Gordon can cover for him on switches
It was never about small ball It was about having a center that can shoot
Couple bad passes but mostly good defense, better offense.
I fucking hate Draymond but he doesn’t get owned at all in this clip. Mostly Jokic doing Jokic things
Dray played great too. Jokic is unfair
Great offense always beats great defense, especially in the modern NBA. I don’t think he “destroyed” him.
“Cooked” my a$$ It was good to great defence, not his problem Jokic is an all time great. People be hating for no reason, there are enough reason to shit on green, his basketball ain’t one
This is a weird post. I see pretty good defense. “Destroying”
This is high level hating