Have we ever seen a big man as polished as Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic? If you said no, maybe this will change your mind.
The reigning MVP is having an even better season than he did a year ago, dominating the NBA while looking, as Dan Le Batard once described him, like a loaf of bread.
“I love ice cream the most in the world,” Jokic told Rohan Nadkarni of Sports Illustrated. “But after 10 days of ice cream, you get bored of it.”
Denver’s ice cream-loving juggernaut may not have the chiseled physique of a LeBron James or Dwight Howard, but good luck trying to stop him. The 6’11” Serbian ranks among the NBA’s top 10 in scoring (26.1 points per game), rebounds (13.9), assists (8.1), triple-doubles (18), player efficiency rating (32.78) and wins above replacement (18.3). He’s also shooting a respectable 34.9 percent from three-point land (down from 38.8 last season) while routinely going viral with mind-blowing passes like this.
Our culture often fetishizes hyper-competitive athletes like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, both fiercely dedicated to their craft and intense to a fault. But Jokic has never aspired to greatness. He just is great. “I know some guys want to be the best or whatever. I don’t have that problem,” insists Jokic. “I know there are better players than me, and there will be better players than me in the future.”
The unusual candor Jokic speaks with is both refreshing and a little startling. But know Jokic is completely serious when he says he’s just happy to be here. “I just came here to work out and be an ’NBA player’ in some way, so I never dream about it. I don’t have goals in my life. I’m just going with the flow.”
This is all gravy for the 27-year-old, who has accomplished more in his seven seasons than he ever expected to. “It would be a really nice thing, yes,” Jokic said of someday becoming the face of the NBA. “I don’t want that or need that. I’m fine with where I am right now with my status in the NBA.”
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