Nah, Joker took his foot off the gas and only cared (rightly) about getting ready for the playoffs. The discussion about stat padding and Perkins racial insinuation was disgraceful, but Embiid winning wasn't a snub of Jokic.
@timwormus Yes it was. 13 times in NBA history a player has led the league in PER, BPM, WS and VORP while leading his team to the 1 seed. 12 of them won MVP, Jokic in 2023 is the 13th.
@@timwormusu are right, there was nothing shady about last year's mvp vote... it is totally legitimate that one voter left him off the top 5 ballot completely so he would get zero points toward mvp score.... surely there are AT LEAST five guys in the NBA last year for whom you could make a better mvp case than jokic
It's funny how people are calling Jokic out of shape, all while he is the one of the best conditioned players in the league, and playes more than 90% of the games. I remember Ayton being dumbfounded by Jokic outrunning him the whole game. 😂
@@olfrud That and reducing athleticism to jumping and running while ignoring strength, stamina or balance, moreover the fact he doesn't make big jump make him very durable he's basically never injured.
Kinda like Jerry Rice. He wasn't the fastest, wasn't the quickest, wasn't taller or stronger than the CB covering him. But he outwitted the defense, time and time again.
Been a Nuggets fan for over 30 years now. A lot of bad basketball over that time. So I don’t take this guy for granted. There are some stellar players on this team. Jamal, Gordon, MPJ and KCP, but without the Joker, none of it happens. Just like Jordan and the 90’s Bulls.
Same. Dikembe was my fav player as a kid and I always got clowned for it but Denver has remained my favorite team. I'm relishing the greatness while it's here. Joker is the definition of making players better. AG, MPJ, and KCP are better because of Joker
As a NBA fan living in Kansas City, I agree. There must be something about wearing the number 15 that makes a person a prodigious passer, scorer and perennial MVP candidate... especially when they play in Denver... (All in good fun, I LOVE watching the Nuggets. Hope they can take your mind off that other sports franchise up there)
Because I'm not American and Denver sucked, people would always asked me why im a Nuggets fan. I don't know why but I've loved that team for the past 19 years
Embiid would've won MVP this year if he could've stayed on the floor. 34.6 PER which would've been the all time record if he wasn't so injury prone, AND if he could keep that up for an entire season. Maybe he would've regressed later in the season. Durability and playoff performance are more important though, and Embiid hasn't possessed either of those qualities yet. Jokic is probably getting his third MVP this year and it's well earned.
If you ignore the subjective qualifiers that don't actually matter, the minivan is the perfect vehicle for 95% of consumers. The analogy of Jokic to a minivan is perfect. He's got everything you need, and nothing you don't.
And yet, he is kinda flashy. His passes are next level, among probably the 5 best passers of all time, certainly top 10. Watching people score off his passes, and especially his lobs IS exciting. The Nuggets brand of hoops is fun to watch, the only thing missing is dunks from Jokic.
@@garyco766 I'm sorry I thought people would understand the reference to the video where he was talking about jumping high & poster dunks when referring to "flashy". I assumed it would have been obvious, but instead I just made an ass out of u and me. My bad. I shoulda listened to my mother.
1:25 - I love how assists had to be lowered to 5 to get any other centers in there. Add one more assist (25-10-6) and then it's only Jokic. He is the best passing center in NBA history BY FAR.
Not lowered to 5. Investigate Wilt's actual assist numbers. These guys just didn't have the data for those years. You don't find it silly that each of those years the number is exactly 5.0?
To be fair he's one of the best passer in NBA history, the fact that he can also play center is a bonus but Jokic is already a top 10 point guard of all time.
He don't dunk to keep his legs fresh. Which is why come the 4th quarter, denver is so good. Also, sucks for the WNBA when they say no one watches because people don't appreciate fundamentals.
WBNA..? fundamentals ??.. *you actually seen them play* ???????💀 this bs gonna be a debate for ages with feminist & LGBTFGOSPEOfd++ people wanting total equality, even in sports smh tho realisticly women sports will always be less watched, because womens always will be naturally less athletic then mens sports is competition, team chemistry, work ethic etc ofc.. but it's a spectacle before anything! y'all think Gladiators would have been historically known throughout the world as it is IF there wasn't mens but womens fighting in the arena/pits ?? ever heard of any kinda lady participating in jousting ?? ever heard of womens doing chariot race ?? .. could you name a boxer rn just from memory ? *YES.* (even if you don't, at least a good 70% of Americans & Europeans could) could you name a female boxer just as quickly *HELL. NO.*
@@mja4wp… because they are winner, they see the game differently than others. The guys you mentioned are all legends. Kobe’s father player basketball in Europe so Kobe learns the European fundamentals, we have da different system here. You don’t play college basketball to get drafted, we have big clubs and they have a youth league so the competition is different. If you are good at young age you play almost against older guys. Luka Dončić start playing for the first team of Real Madrid with the age of 17.
If Jokić continues to play this way for the next 3-6 years. Acquires two more MVP’s and maybe two more chips, adding individual stats, he’ll definitely be in the top 5.
Do you see him slowing down anytime soon? As a Nuggets fan, I can tell you we'll never get to find out if hes the goat. He doesn't care about that. He's gonna accomplish his goals and go back home to his wife, daughter and horses. He won't be a 15 year player.
If you get 3 mvps 2 fmvp, trust me, when you see the possibility to become a top 5-3 all time, you start liking the “job”, think about what his brothers and his wife are telling him, hell play at least 8 more seasons
It’s crazy that he’s better this season, relative to his peers, than his second MVP season. The league is sooooo stacked right now. I’m going to remember this when I’m trying to defend him to Gen Bs that only look at highlights of him barely getting off the ground.
One more remarkable things about Jokic is his usage rate is not even in the top 20. To have such monster cumulative advanced stats (stuff other than WS/48) with such low usage rate is absolutely insane.
I live in Colorado and for years Nuggets would have flash in the pan seasons like when we had Melo. However, with Jokic and the boys - this team, this era just feels different, it feels like they are having fun playing and thus making the game enjoyable. What made LeBron great early in his career, you can tell he was enjoying the moment, taking it all in with Cleveland. Sadly, in my opinion - when he decided to go travel the country to chase championships his ego got in the way. Tipping point is when he called himself the GOAT. Michael Jordon would even tell you and has said that he doesn't like the phrase GOAT. Jokic is humble, still learning our culture our way of life. He is having fun in his own way. As a fan of basketball, we are witnessing something magical in an era where it shouldn't even occur.
Regarding his defense, Thibs said it best last night in post game. He said Jokic is very cleverly defensively. He knows how to read opponent's moves, has quick hands and knows when to sit on pocket passes. It does not take an athletic dude to play top tier defense. Prime Mark Gasol, old Tim Duncan were perfect examples
You have to be athletic if you are a smaller wing or guard. Jokic, and the others you mentioned, are different because they are centers and huge. That helps a lot.
@@brettlord6379 I mean it’s true to a lesser degree for wings and guards sure but is still true. Derrick white is at beat and average athlete, but is arguably top 2 guard defender in the league, far better than say anthony edwards.
@@lukacalov1988Not a chance. Just because you can stat pad better on a fucking STACKED team doesnt make you a better player when the chips are down. He's still a choker, so he CAN'T be better than Kobe by default. Then we add that he has no fcking bag, no handles, no footwork, no ft ability, and he's a coward.... How could he possibly be better than Kobe? Just cos he's good in transition? Stop it. Its not about "rah rah look i can dunk in transition during the regular season!!!" who fucking cares about that? How many chips you think Kobe would have won had he gotten JUST Chris Paul? LeChoke wouldn't have smelled a single one.
People see jokic and think he's not in good shape not realising that he's probably got some of the best stamina in the league running constantly and creating the offence whilst anchoring defence, yes he's a decent defender as well contrast to what nba media will say
It's 2 points if u slam it in its 2 points if u lay it in. This is not gymnastics where u get Xtra points for style. N it's safer for his body. I still give him a 20.
He could dunk much more frequently, of course. But it would never impress. On the other hand, him not leaving the ground at all reduces the risk of catastrophic injury, and increases his longevity. Joker may have a very extended prime.
Yeah I 100% agree with you! The amount of time I have to tell my friends that Jokic not jumping is a smart move just blows there mind! If he wants to dunk he can for sure 100% dunk and show them but he doesn't because he wants to save on "energy". For example, in the 4th quarter you would see many players that dunk would get burnt out to quickly but then you see him speeding along, going back and forth at a great pace. Plus like you mention jumping so many time and gravity pushing you down with all your weight can really cause long term injury to the waist, knees, ankles, and more!
No, obviously he only took the stats that Jokic is good at. Jokic is a “good” center who cannot block. How on earth is this even possible? Anyway. You can lie with stats so easily. I can prove you that Jordan Poole is an elite defender by picking the stats accordingly. Don’t believe everything you see. Have some common sense. Jokic is a bad defender.
@@berryesseenI would believe you that jokic is a bad defender, if you can actually prove to me that Jordan Poole is an elite defender. You can't. Jokics stats show that he is a decent defender, he won't ever make defensive first team but he's a net positive defender. And all his defensive stats show that, if you look at all the stats than it's not lying with statistics than it's simply proving a point with statistics.
@@lukakaps9548 People give too much value to stats, especially to defensive stats because defense is in general a team effort. Denver successfully hides Jokic's disadvantages. I mean you have guys like AG and KCP. How hard can it be to defend with those guys? Jordan Poole isn't a good defender right now because Wizards are a terrible team. Replace Poole and Murray. Poole will instantly become a good defender. The guy literally won a championship. He was an okay defender in GSW. You can support this by selecting the stats to show. To be a really good defender, you got to make a difference individually on a defensively poor team. Like Gobert did at Jazz. Gobert would be good even at Wizards. Jokic is a below average defender (or a bad defender) who is hidden well thanks to personnel and coaching.
@@berryesseen you keep saying that you can show Pooles defensive ability by showing the right stats. Show me those stats. I can also say that I can show that KCP is the greatest soccer player of all time, but that doesn't mean anything until I do.
Jokic has the sport of basketball figured out, he's incredible and I hope people enjoy it because we may not see this level of dominance again in the NBA.
My father told me and my brothers that blocking, though essential to defense, is just the last effort you can do to stop the other player from scoring. The best defense is what you can do while the ball is still in the opponent's hands. And I see that is what Jokic's defense is, disrupting the flow of the offense.
Only people who actually played basketball can understand that Jokic is extremely unique player and it does not even make sense to compare him to anybody because simoly there is not a single player that can do what Nikola is doing.
They rode this style last year all the way to the title. Jokic led the entire playoffs in points, rebounds and assists!! If you have to think about individual stats, think about that. The non Jokic minutes can be a struggle, but I think they’re a little better this year. Murray is great at holding it together: his leadership, passing and creating his own shots is amazing.
Jokic is the type of player you appreciate more the less of a casual fan you are. The more you know about basketball, the more you understand what a unicorn this dude is.
Who cares about MVP this shit award, just give this shit to Luka, JT, Shai or Ant, I just want too see Jokic losing another regular season MVP and proving all those frauds that voted against him, just for him to get another FMVP at this year.
Nuggets will be even more stronger this year, just look at how MPJ is playing after the All Star, the man is balling! He even say they are getting hot for the playoffs, now the Nuggets have the best player in the league, Murray (underrated at!), MPJ that is getting really hot, Air Gordon and KCP, who can beat this shit? When they really want to play? I don't see it, this will the second in the row for the Nuggets and I love it, I just love Nuggets ball game.
@@pedrolage6112 100% agree, they are playing defense here and there, but when playoffs starts they will be unstoppable... hopefully second unit will play some quality minutes...
Yeah, it's hard to rate his story when it's so far from complete. But I'm already starting to think top 10 now, potentially top 5 by the time he's done.
jokic is like a minivan. not pretty but reliable is the best description i’ve ever heard the man is a generational superstar. what he does is unlike anything ever seen on a basketball court. he stands in the realm of wilt, russell, bird, jordan, stockton, moses, duncan, curry. he is a one of one player like none before him. grateful that i get to watch his whole career play out.
Super dope video man. Actually being able to visualize the separation between him and the rest of the league with how you used all the different graphics and stuff truly scrambled my brain, thank you