Try as they might to tune out the noise, superstars aren’t immune to outside criticism. Former Celtics center Kendrick Perkins, now of ESPN, gave a doozy of a take last week when he called out reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, dismissing his accomplishments as meaningless and a product of empty stat-padding. “Players know what their stats are,” Perkins argued on First Take. “About 25 or 30 games into the season, he was around 9.5, 9.8 [per game]. All of a sudden, he starts searching for assists to get it up above 10.”
Red-nosed with a doughy physique and arms inexplicably covered in scratches, Jokic may not look the part of a world-class athlete, but he is one, quietly trending toward all-time status as one of the most dominant and skilled bigs in NBA history. It’s true Jokic has never been to an NBA Finals, though it seems like only a matter of time until Denver, owners of the Western Conference’s top record at 44-19 (.698-win percentage), dispels that narrative once and for all. The seven-foot Serbian stands a reasonable chance of winning his third MVP in as many seasons, a feat last accomplished by Celtics legend Larry Bird during his 80s heyday.
Other than the benefit of ESPN providing a platform for his half-baked opinions, what ammunition could Perkins, a career 5.4-ppg scorer best known for boxing out and setting picks, possibly have against one of the most unique talents to ever step on an NBA hardwood? Still, Jokic took the bait, alluding to Perkins’ comments after logging his 100th career triple-double, joining Russell Westbrook, Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Jason Kidd and LeBron James as one of six players to reach that milestone.
“When you’re stat-padding, it’s easy,” said a deadpan Jokic after stuffing the stat sheet with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in Tuesday night’s win over Houston, only needing 28 minutes of court time to achieve that output. “Yes, of course [I heard it]. It’s true.”
Sarcasm aside, Jokic doesn’t seem even the slightest bit fazed by Perkins or any other haters looking to knock him down a peg, continuing to fill whatever role the Nuggets ask of him, whether it’s scoring, facilitating or attacking the glass.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram