Does Jokic's genius actually make him a good defender? 

Dude it’s crazy, his understanding of spacing and gravity makes it so he can give minimal effort but still do high level team defender

The sneaky genius of Denver is that they turn the game into a 2 point shootout for the most part. They trust their offensive execution at the rim and midrange (with selective 3 point shots) while daring opponents to do the same. Usually when they lose it's when the opponent either gets too many 2nd chance and/or transition points

Every aspect of Jokic game is an example of work smarter, not harder. Right down to the way he burns game clock while inbounding the ball while the nuggets are leading.

Jokic is just built different fr

In the modern NBA, rim protection and switchability are the most sought after abilities for defensive bigs. That’s why Davis, Bam, Draymond, JJJ and Mobley are considered elite defenders. Jokic is awful at both, so he’s often seen as a poor defender. Thing is, he’s good to great at everything else. He’s a voracious rebounder, immovable in the post, he’s got great hands, and as this video highlights, his effort levels and reading of the game are superb. He reminds me a lot of Marc Gasol, who couldn’t jump either, but had such impeccable positioning it looked like he was teleporting around the court, putting out fires everywhere.

Their strategy seems to be predicated on Jokic not getting in foul trouble or injured/worn down on unnecessary jumps, which clearly the bigger risk to the Nuggets than him allowing league average offense. Compared to Joel there is a question, especially with injuries, of if that extra vertical protection is worth the tradeoff.

As a heat fan in the finals we learned how overblown his defensive deficiencies were … I’d been hearing the whole season how much of a weak defender he is not really watching the nuggets all season it was soul crushing to see how true that wasn’t ..

He’s just so active and his sense of timing and positioning is so good, it feels like he always has a hand in a passing lane or a his body in place to stop a guy from getting a head of steam to the basket. That one game in the finals last year where he got a couple of steals and like three late shot clock kicks to stop an entry bounce pass to a big was very eye-opening.

Jokic never jumps to block shots, always keep him well positioned for defensive rebounds and transition pushes, I saw it multiple times during tonight's Lakers Nuggets game, AD would fall down trying to draw contact, Jokic grabs the rebound and immediately dribbles down the court for the 4 on 5

this is what great motor on defense actually looks like, unfortunately most fans thinks it looks like westbrook or AI

I got flamed on TikTok by some people for defending Jokic saying he is a “smart” defender. This video makes me feel better.

He is a GREAT defender, leads all bigs in deflections, great at rebounding, PNR defense, comunication, run the most miles etc...Nuggets are ALWAYS top 5-10 defense with him ON the floor... Defense is more than just blocks!

5:30 "And its a no-look steal"... guess he's the one averaging more of those per season, isn't him?

i swear jokic blocks more shots at the end of games than most 'shot-blocker' centers. i think he saves up his energy / lulls his defenders into thinking that they can shoot a certain way over/around him so that when it matters most, he can get those blocks.

THANK YOU. Trying to argue with people who act like he's a trash defender because he doesn't block shots is obnoxious. I would add though, that in the clutch, Jokic becomes less worried about fouling out and becomes a SHOCKINGLY good rim protector (obviously not Gobert levels, or anything like that, but WELL above average, in fact, he led the league in game saving blocked shots 2 years ago)

Glad someone pays attention to details about defense. Everyone talks about blocks when it comes to defense because of the impact and swag it brings when it happens. Jokic uses his brain to defend and that what makes him special.

He's 13th in steals per game this season, and that actually puts him above players like Wemby and AD (Though obviously they have over triple and twice his blocks per game respectively). He's also something like 6th in total steals, since he almost never gets injured or misses games.

An underrated part of Jokic's game is that he is so dominant and physical on offense, that it puts a ton of wear and tear on his opponents, which helps him on defense, cause opposing centers and bigs just missing easy shots.

It's so fun watching him play.

Great breakdown. The 12.4 rebounds a game, 9.5 of them being dreb, the 1.9 steals a game, and 0.9 blocks show a player putting in the effort on the defensive side. And if you are using your basketball IQ you set yourself up in the position to get steals in the passing lane, and to get rebounds off of misses. Definitely lacking a bit in the block department. But I dunno if I want the big man jumping around for blocks after seeing what happens to Embiid. What he does works so might as well work around that and just make up for his lack of blocks elsewhere.

It shouldn't even be a question that he is now above-average as a big man defender. No one should be arguing he's an elite defender, but as you have shown very well, he makes a positive difference on defense. The best stat for that is the Nuggets have equivalent to the 3rd best defensive rating with him on the floor and the 15th best defensive rating while he sits.

lmaooooooooooo

He can read the floor,he is not just good defender,he is a smart defender!

It's like a chess game. I'm sure he is thinking like "what would I do if I were him in the offense" and then just takes the best option from who he is defending. His timing, hand activity and anticipation are well above an average defender.

The NBA should look more at those swipes when the offensive player is attempting a shot... Those are blocks! Offensive player is initiating a shot and Joker is blocking it down low, but its still a block

One night I had a nightmare, I dreamt about "Athletic" Jokic, and Jordan and Clinton conspiring his assassination..😂😂😂

Fantastic video. Gonna look at his defense in a completely new light now.

Maybe even bigger than all of these things is that Jokic is such an elite game manager on offense. It's easier to score on a fast break against the best defensive team than in halfcourt against the worse defensive team, and it's hard to get out in transition if you're constantly having to take the ball out of the basket. Part of being a game manager is that even empty possessions are likely to occur while Denver is set up so it can get back in transition. Jokic already has a very good assist:turnover ratio, and as a center who will pick up some offensive fouls setting moving screens or fighting for position in the post/on the offensive glass, the turnovers he does commit are less likely to be live-ball ones that lead to opponent fast breaks. He is the #1 player in the league at creating a quality shot for his team, and as a player who is wired to always fo the 'right' pass rather than one that will result in an assist for him, this doesn't fully show up in the box score. The sum total of this might just be a couple fewer fast break opportunities per game for the opposing team, but that really adds up with how much more efficient transition offense is than halfcourt offense.

Alot of people think that defense is always about blocking the shot, while it does help that you have good shot blocking ability, it's only half of defense. The other half is about making the shots harder to make, and it's a really underrated skill for centers to learn.

Yo TB! Thanks for the amazing content this year. Looking forward to the playoffs - something about this year has been so competitive and talented! I'll be there for the poddies too.

After watching him vs the Lakers and the Wolves, Jokic is an absolute cone on defense.

If you check this season’s stat leaders on basketball reference, Jokic is towards the top of a few defensive advanced stats. I think he’s even #1 for one of them

But mainstream talking heads say "jokic is a poor defender"

Great analysis! Idk if you take requests but a Trayce Jackson-Davis video would be really cool. He’s had an interesting rookie year even though he went low in the draft

Because he knows how to generate the best shots, he will take away your best shot in one on two defense situation with his limit athleticism. And you can't be more patient with your offense to get better shots off him because how long and athletic the other 4 Denver players are, windows are too short. Gonna be good with the mid range shot to have a chance

another great clip with so much insight. 👍👍👍

Couple of seasons ago, he bring 2-3 wins with dagger defensive reactions

If the Nuggets win this championship, I think he’s already in the Top 10 players ever conversation! ❤

YALL WERE SAYING????

your videos are such of a great quality thank you for that

The way he plays offensively and defensively he’ll never get injured or have a serious one he’s so smart

Great Video as Always 💯 Much love from Germany ❤️🇩🇪

Jokic glazing at finest

Great breakdown! That hustle is contagious, thats leading by example!

Jokic is not as bad at defense As people say!

We often see jokic looking like tired and gassed turns out he might be considering he has that 100% defensive motor that great defenders have

His physical limitations keep him from being a great defender but Denver's schemes and personnel + Jokic's great IQ and effort makes up for it. I think his stamina is a really underrated part of his game, he manages to conserve energy on offense while still being incredibly effective, which then allows him to be active on defense even later on. Effort is such a big part of defense and the Joker always tries his best. I want Luka to take that next step in this regard, he improved his defense this year but he still has many plays where he's lazy

This is aging like milk in the sun

Great one! I missed a bit more commentary on his rebounding though. This guy's hands look like magnets sometimes, he might not snatch it inmediately but he always manages to tip it in his direction to finally get possesion of the ball.

This is the best basketball channel. This breakdown is 👏👏👏

Thank you, not often is mentioned his commitment in defense. And that his goals when defending are grounded in his capacity, his options and the teamwork worked in advance

Good quality content!

great video

7:33 - Those kicks... Guess it's just hard to resist when it's there 😂

NJ proves you don't need to be a hyper athlete to be a good defender. His positioning is superb. And like everything wit him it doesn't look like he's working hard but he really is. It's why I call NJ "Great Ostertag." (Seriously, compare the photos of Jokic and Greg Ostertag)

Jokic is treating the game like cold war where intelligence matter rather than actual defense by playing espionage against the play of opposing opponent.

7:28-7:45 what you don’t realize with the kick violations is you’re giving your defense a chance to reset/adjust since its a dead-ball situation leaving the offense to inbound on the next possession. The IQ is ridiculous.

Interesting take and video. Definitely made me look forward to seeing the game from a different lens when the Lakers play Denver tonight in Game 2. My thoughts about Joker's defense is that his hands - as you noted - are probably the best the league has seen in a while. In my opinion, Chris Webber's hands were THE BEST. If he got a finger on the ball he could secure the ball and control it. And that's what I see from Joker. He has that same divine gift PLUS being a 7 footer - which is GINORMOUS when 6 - 8 ft from the rim. Denver's coach & their personnel all play into that. It's actually a possum game. Where you try to get Joker into some action; but, Joker turns that into a coast to coast fastbreak where he is running the point giving it to someone for a dunk or one of their players wide-open for a three. Additionally, his defensive rebounding is elite as well - which also contributes to the coast to coast transition plays. He simply is unusual. We've never seen someone this size, this skilled offensively. And even having him near the action of the ball creates a threat because if he can get a fingernail on the ball; it's a live-ball turnover - which usually ends up in points. Overall, I think the efficiency of his offense is unprecedentedly elite that even targeting him on the other side of the ball risks him having the ball in his hands. The best way to stop Jokic is for him NOT to have the ball in his hands. But the dude is 7 feet tall and a rebounding menace. Really one of those players that you have to watch him play to understand how he impacts the game in EVERY FEASIBLE way. Crazy!

He doesnt play aggressive defense cuz he can not get into foul trouble. He wont leave it in the hands of the refs.( especially against Lakers)

Great video! I would add that Jokic often declines the vertical contest but instead focuses on rebounding position. So trades some blocks/missed shots for a lower number of ORB given up.

So good Ben😊

It's very hard to explain to people who dislike Jokic that you don't need to block shots, or lock people down on the perimeter to be a good defender. He's one of the best at being where he needs to be, except in blow by situations, which are rare because he is usually early to drop. He does have a lot of moments where his lack of athleticism allows other people to be up in the air for a dunk before he's even able to get there, but I think with Jokic you take the good with the bad, and imo considering their Finals winners, and are always above average defensively, there's a lot more good than bad.

5:31 good god

Love it. I Think especially his foul prevention is undervalued significantly. Rarely if ever do you see jokic in foul trouble, so him being a decent defender while not costing much adds so much value to his gamw

I love it..I was wondering when someone would make a Jokic defense vid..I mean everyone knows Jokic is an offensive genius but i had a feeling his defensive playing skills were underrated..just as any aspect of his game was at one time or another..you have card games where the joker can substitute any card which is fitting in comparison since Jokic can substitute any position in basketball and still be above average..

I'm going to say something heretical, but watching him play is like Larry Bird in the body of Bill Laimbeer

Would love to see a JJ Redick & Thinking Basketball collab. Great video 💯

great examples. Joker has built a number of advantages out of his lack of leaping ability. You could do a video on his rebounding techniques, for example. He can hop twice before other players have recovered from their first leap. Amazing how he has built a different style.

His offense is basically his defense

your last sentence belied the whole video 😆

BEN THERE IS BASKETBALL ON

Yep. Lacks the slide and hops but makes up for it.

The video should’ve at least said that at the end of the day, he is still a poor rim protector and worse in space. Jokic is doing what he can with the little things, but it simply can not make up for the things that he severely lacks.

Protecting the rim with swipe down while still being top 5 at few shooting fouls commited is crazy

Short answer : No 😂😂😂😂😂

The no-look steal reminds me of one of my greatest defensive plays of my life: a no-look block.

No he's pretty ass on defense.

You mentioned it laterally, but he has that Tim Duncan thing that he never fully commits and he's always positioned for the defensive rebound. He has those non contests that look bad, but often shotblockers leave the rim open for thr offensive rebound

So defensively rating and defense awareness 99 but block rating 50 and steals rating 90?

Update: He’s been getting cooked all playoffs first by AD and now by Minnesota 😂

One word cover it...Genius!

I like the way rasheed wallace block shots because he does not jump but he uses his length and tries to mirror the ball with his hands and tries to time every block shot attempt. It's not easy to do because it requires precise timing otherwise the risk of causing fouls when the timing is off. Jokic is really good at tipping the ball when going for rebounds, maybe jokic could implement his tipping of the ball like he does with rebounds but try doing it with him using his length and use his body like his chest and try to force tough shots on the opposing offensive player since he would not need to jump but use his length to his advantage. Jokic uses his back to down his defender when he is scoring in the post and he could do the opposite and use his chest and try to force the offensive player in an uncomfortable shot attempt. I seen rasheed wallace use his chest instead of his hands to replace hand checking to dictate where he wants the offensive player to go. Offensive players use there body to create space but the same thing could apply when playing defense but do it in a way that does not cause obvious fouls. Most of the fouls from the offensive players are using there hands like pushing off and bouldering into the defender with there shoulders and even elbows but I never seen it happen when the opponent uses there chest on offense and defense. When taking a charge, the defender has to use there chest anyways when drawing a charge along with the defender moving there feet. Blocking fouls are caused by the defenders trying to draw a charge and they end up timing it wrong, but instead of taking the contact in the chest. The contact happens with the shoulders instead using there chest which causes incidentally contact and they end up running into the offensive player. I never seen an offense foul with a player on offense using there chest or a defensive foul when the player on defense is using there chest since there arms are straight up or running into opponent when they lose control that causes an offensive foul. Jumping when trying to contest shops exerts more energy on defense while also falling for pump fakes which is at risk of causing a foul or have the offensive player moving past the defender because they have more momentum than the defender trying to recover and move there feet at the same time which is difficult to do since not everyone has quick feet when trying to slide when playing defense as oppose to someone trying to position themselves when playing on defense. Getting steals is easier because it uses less energy than trying to go for block shots because there are multiple ways when getting steals because it just takes effort to pressure the ball handler and can be manipulated in many ways where as blocking shots takes precise timing but getting steals are also risky especially if the timing is off which causes reach in fouls and gets into foul trouble faster.

It does, and he is a good defender. Just because it doesn't look like it - doesn't mean he isn't. He has his flaws, but HIS TEAM PLAYS BETTER DEFENSIVELY WHEN HE'S ON THE FLOOR. His team has always been unbelievably better with him on the floor DEFENSIVELY ontop of offensively, going from scraping the bottom of the league to top 10, with crazy defensive box plus minus. He also is massive on defensive rebounds. He is obviously a more offensive star, taking his team from again - scraping the bottom to the literal top offensively, but his defense is underrated, and he use to be more aggressive, but the reason he isn't and it's a good thing is because he fouled too much, that isn't an issue anymore.

His defense isn't that much of a target point because he has good teammates to cover that flaw defensively

Like I always say. Jokic plays defense like a “safety” in the NFL. He knows he’s not the fastest, or the quickest laterally. Nor can he jump high to contest at the rim to block shots. So what does he do? He uses his strengths to his advantage. He’s got the best hands in the NBA. He positions himself in passing lanes and he PREDICTS where the ball is gonna go. Then he pokes the ball away for a steal or a low block. He also got great instincts. He reminds me of Ed Reed without the athleticism. BUT he got Larry Fitzgerald’s hands to compensate lol.

I’ve been thinking the same thing for a while. He doesn’t defend like a traditional big man, but is smart and active in all the ways he can be. Not to mention cleaning up the glass to prevent second chance points.

he's a solid defender who understands the game well enough to be at the right place at the right time almost all the time and has great hands for deflections. Obviously he has weaknesses in the form of quicker players blowing by or jumping over him, a big man with a good faceup game can take advantage of him in a 1v1 matchup until AG's help defense becomes a bit more aggressive, but he and the coaching staff all know to play to his strengths and avoid such situations as much as possible and mitigate his weaknesses, and thus his overall impact on D is consistent and positive. Yes, his defensive ceiling does not reach the potential of guys like Bam, Embiid, AD, Wemby, Rudy....etc, but he makes up for it by rarely making mistakes or letting his motor fall asleep, and his offense takes care of the rest.

My goat

I wonder how much his rim protection numbers change if you count those swipe steals on guys at the rim as blocks instead of

Amazing

As a huge fan of this channel since you started, I have to add that what you said about the kick deflections are not something as unorthodox as you said in European basketball. I’ve realized that is not a common action in the US, but in Europe, we are taught to do it since mini basketball

He’s an average to good defender depending on the offensive load he needs to carry. We can see that with other players as well.

Great video as always! you almost had me convinced. Good defensive teamates and a great offense makes him look better in defense.

This man is having fun, damn.

People in US don't know how many sports we in Serbia (Ex Yugoslavia) play growing up as kids, in school and in free time. Waterpollo is also nacional sport in Serbia, and we are multiple Olympic and World Champions. As Jokic trained waterpollo, thats why his eye/hand coordination is so good. He uses basic movement, posting and quick hand passes from waterpollo. In waterpollo, he learned to scan the court layout, thats basic of waterpollo, because your head is barely above the water line and when you have ball in your hand, you need to know where everyone is, you cant see them (literally). Angles he creates in passing is another trait of waterpollo. Just watch any waterpollo game and you will see what Im talking about. His leg cutting passes is learned from playing, we call it small soccer, as we play it on the handball court and goal, other sport we are good at, but its not common in the US. His uses his legs to cut passes, as someone would as goal keeper in small soccer and handball. He is walking hybrid of sports we usually play as kids, only he uses them in NBA. Luka is another hybrid, but not on that level. 🤣

that is exactly how the defense should adapt to and around your best player!

And don't forget about those crosscourt water polo passes he generates from rebounds and steals.

Jokic is just so efficient offensively and defensively. It's probably a part of why he is healthy most of the time. Ironically, they gave Embiid the MVP last year because he dominates offensively and defensively but him jumping a lot for dunks and blocks probably took a lot of toll, while Jokic remains grounded all the time. Now Embiid is always injured, and him jumping scares me all the time.

If he was just a little more agile later and a had a little more explosiveness vertically he would be an ELITE defender because of how he reads the game.

he's a defensive mastermind, often directing his team to the right spots before plays even happen, closing out lanes, he's basicly at the right place pretty much all the time! he's just.. kind of a "minimal effort" guy sometimes 😅 why dunk and put more effort in when a layup can do the job as great without hurting your hands!! thats jokic in a bottle xD he doesn't jump high for highlight blocks and stuff but he impacts the defence in a total diffrent way!!