Bill Simmons on Nikola Jokic dominating teams in NBA: “What are we willing to have him kill us with?”
Nikola Jokic continues to give opponents headaches on a nightly basis. With the superstar big man dominating, opposing teams are trying to figure out how to slow him down.
The Denver Nuggets (22-12 heading into Friday night's game against the Miami Heat) have gotten off to a strong start. Denver has won five of its last six games, and their franchise big man is starting to look as dangerous as ever.
Nikola Jokic has become arguably the best center in the entire NBA. His resume backs it up, as he's won the past two league MVPs. Jokic has become one of the most exciting players to watch. He dazzles fans with his sensational feel for the game and jaw-dropping passes.
Jokic has simply been outstanding in his last eight games, averaging 31.4 points, 13.0 rebounds, 10.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game. During that stretch, Jokic is shooting 61.4%.
Sports analyst Bill Simmons praised how dominant Jokic has been as of late on a recent episode of "The Bill Simmons podcast":
"We're just talking regular season impact day to day watching somebody pull the best out of their teammates and just be a f***ing problem. These two Sacramento games, the last two. One game, they basically wouldn't let him score (as Denver won 113-106 on Tuesday).
"Last night, they just changed their strategy completely and they're like, 'You know what? Knock yourself out. Score as many as you can. We're gonna try to take away the assist, and he scored 40 but it actually worked (as Sacramento won 127-126 on Wednesday).
"They end up losing down the stretch, but he didn't have Jamal Murray and he didn't have Aaron Gordon. But it does remind me of the Bird-Magic thing, where teams are going into it going, 'All right, he's gonna kill us somehow, what are we willing to have him kill us with?'"
Nikola Jokic continues to impress for Denver Nuggets
The all-around versatility that Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic has is sensational. One of the most gifted players in the league, Jokic has the ability to pick apart the opposition in various ways.
He's one of the NBA's best offensive talents. Jokic can put up eye-opening scoring numbers on any given night. But he also has the ability to make everyone around him better. One of the league's best playmakers, Jokic can also dominate a game with his passing ability.
Here’s your nightly unbelievable Nikola Jokic pass 😱
https://t.co/jMnLtSPZ57
Teams continue to do everything in their power to slow down Jokic from being a dominant force. The talented big man is up to 25.7 ppg, 10.8 rpg and 9.4 apg this season.