Why Nikola Jokic Is The Best Center In The NBA Right Now
The center position has changed a lot over the past few years, and now we are in a period of big man like never before. We see them shooting 3’s and dribbling and passing like guards. At the forefront of this is Nikola Jokic, the best center in the NBA. Here is why Nikola Jokic is the best center in the NBA right now.
Nikola Jokic was selected 41st overall in the 2014 NBA Draft. Nobody knew his name back then. He is now the best center in the league. He might not look impressive, but he is a wizard with the ball. He can stretch the defense with his shooting ability, he is one of the best passers in the NBA right now, and he is one of the most unique players in the NBA today. I’m going to be listing a few of the reasons why Jokic is far away the best center in the league.
Passing
As I mentioned earlier, Jokic is far and away the best passing big guy in the league. Jamal Murray doesn’t need to be a great playmaker because the Nuggets have Jokic. Jokic is a great pocket passer, especially out of the post where is it almost impossible to guard him. Jokic averaged 7.0 assists this season, and no other center averaged more than 5.0 assists. So Jokic was far and away the best passing centers in the league.
Jokic averaged more assists than Chris Paul, which is quite impressive saying that CP-3 is one of the greatest passer of all-time, certainly in the league right now.
Jokic is the first center since Al Horford in 2017 to average 5.0+ assists. So this type of stuff doesn’t happen often, and it is quite remarkable what the Joker is able to do with his magic-like passing. This is one of the reasons that Jokic is one of the most talented offensive big guys in the NBA.
Offensive Skillset
Jokic isn’t like most big guys that you see today. He’s bigger than guys like Bam Adebayo, but he’s slower than Embiid and Towns, but yet his offensive skill set is unmatched. Jokic is great out of the pick and roll. He can be the dribbler, making it tough of defenses as he rumbles down the lane. He is a great passer, so it’s very hard to guard with him initiating the pick and roll. Jokic gets most of his 3’s from the pick and roll as well. He pops out and gets a lot of space, as he shoots above 30% from 3 on about 3.5 attempts per game.
Jokic is also great in the post. While he doesn’t look very strong, he is very physical. He can body people down low and get position with his crafty finishes. Jokic is also great at baseline and elbow fadeaways. When the shot clock is running down, Jokic is very good at making those kind of shots. He made two game-winners this season, against the 76ers and Timberwolves as he was fading away, making very tough shots.
Jokic is so much different from all the other bigs in this league, and he uses it to his advantage. He is so crafty, and some of his game reminds me of Dirk. Very crafty, and always seems to make his tough shots. Jokic’s skillset is unmatched, and he is very tough to guard. He will be a tough guy to guard for a long time.
Playoff Dominance
While Jokic has been great during the regular season, he has been even better in the playoffs. During the last two playoffs, Jokic has been great. Lets look back at some memorable moments and averages from Jokic’s two playoff runs.
2018-19 Playoff Run
Jokic’s first ever playoff run was very impressive. In the first round vs the Spurs, Jokic was very good. Here were Jokic’s stats in that series:
23.1 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 9.1 assists with 1.3 steals. He shot 49% from the field and 33% from 3. He had an average Offensive Rating of 127 and a Defensive Rating of 108 (net rating of +19).
Jokic was very good vs the Spurs, and he had two excellent games in this series.
In Game 4, Jokic had 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. Jokic shot 46% from the field and 25% from 3. Jokic had an Offensive Rating of 141.
And in Game 6, Jokic had 43 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists. He shot 63% from the field and 33% from 3. He had an Offensive Rating of 140.
So Jokic was very good for a few games in this series, and now the Nuggets faced the Blazers. Although the Nuggets lost this series, Jokic put on quite a show.
Jokic averaged 27.1 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 7.7 assists along with 1.0 steals and 1.1 blocks per game per game. He had an Offensive Rating of 126 and a Defensive Rating of 110 (net rating of +3).
Jokic absolutely dominated in this series, and here were some of his best games.
Game 1: 37 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists with 3 steals and 2 blocks. 61% from the field and 60% from 3. Offensive Rating of 158.
Game 3: 33 points, 18 rebounds, and 14 assists with 2 blocks. 52% from from the field and 57% from 3. Offensive Rating of 116.
Game 6: 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. 67% from the field and 67% from 3. Offensive Rating of 140.
Game 7: 29 points and 13 rebounds with 4 blocks. 42% from the field and 33% from 3. Offensive Rating of 103.
Jokic was very good in this series. Now let’s compare his entire playoff run to another guy considered to be the best center in the league, Joel Embiid.
Jokic’s 2019 Playoffs: 25.1 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 8.4 assists with 1.1 steals. 51% from the field and 39% from 3.
Embiid’s 2019 Playoffs: 20.2 points and 10.5 rebounds with 2.3 blocks. 43% from the field and 31% from 3.
So Jokic was far superior to Embiid during this postseason, and there is no debating it at this point.
2020 NBA Playoffs
In the first round against the Jazz, Jokic was again great. Here were the numbers he put up in that 7-game series:
26.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. 52% shooting and 48% from 3. Offensive Rating of 127 and a Defensive Rating of 122 (net rating of +5).
Jokic was again incredible this series, as he did all of this with a DPOY in Rudy Gobert defending him. Here were some of Jokic’s best games in the series:
Game 1: 29 points and 10 rebounds with 2 steals. 52% from the field and 57% from 3. Offensive Rating of 115
Game 5: 31 points and 6 rebounds. 63% from the field and 64% from 3. Offensive Rating of 144.
Game 7: 30 points and 14 rebounds. 52% from the field and 40% from 3. Offensive Rating of 116.
So Jokic was very good in this series, even against a very good interior defender in Rudy Gobert. Jokic was the reason that the Nuggets won this series vs the Jazz as with the red-hot Murray struggling in Game 7, Jokic came through big. Now lets see if the Joker continued to dominate in the semifinals.
In the Western Semi’s, Jokic was also dominant against the Clippers. Here were his series averages:
24.4 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists with 1.4 blocks. 52% from the field and 40% from 3. Offensive Rating of 108 and a Defensive Rating of 104 (net rating of +4).
Jokic was very dominant in this series as well, and here were some of his best games:
Game 2: 26 points and 18 rebounds with 3 blocks. 59% from the field and 80% from 3. Offensive Rating of 114.
Game 3: 32 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. 54% from the field and 38% from 3. Offensive Rating of 101.
Game 6: 34 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists. 59% from the field and 67% from 3. Offensive Rating of 123.
Jokic was also incredible in Game 7, and he was one of the big reasons that the Nuggets were able to upset this Clippers team. And Jokic would continue to dominate in the Conference Finals vs the Lakers.
Here were Jokic’s averages during the Conference Finals vs the Lakers:
21.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists with 2.0 steals. 53% from the field and 36% from 3.
Here were some of Jokic’s best games during the 5-game series:
Game 2: 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists with 4 steals. 45% from the field and 25% from 3. Offensive Rating of 127.
Game 5: 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists with 3 steals. 56% from the field and 25% from 3. Offensive Rating of 125.
While Jokic faced his toughest matchup yet in the versatile Anthony Davis, Jokic was very solid in this series, although the Nuggets struggled. Now let’s compare Jokic’s entire run to the up-and-coming Bam Adebayo.
Jokic 2020: 24.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists with 1.1 steals. 52% from the field and 43% from 3.
Bam 2020: 17.8 points and 10.3 rebounds with 1.0 steals. 56% from the field.
Jokic had another great postseason, and he has turned himself into a great playoff performer over the last couple of seasons.
To me, there is nothing that the other centers of the league have over Jokic. When Embiid is injury-free and motivated, he can come close. But the thing is that Embiid is not always in that type of mood, and he was far worse than his 2018-19 campaign this season. So I think that Jokic will be the best big guy in the league for a while, with his exquisite passing and offensive skillset. He is also a great playoff performer, helping lead the Nuggets to be one of the better teams in the Western Conference.
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