Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic Named Most Versatile Player
Apr 10, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Utah Jazz forward Trevor Booker (33) guards Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) in the third quarter at the Pepsi Center. The Jazz defeated the Nuggets 100-84. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Nuggets are stacked with an array of assets, and second-year player Nikola Jokic is perhaps their most versatile player, or so B/R thinks.
As the season starts to near, Bleacher Report, a popular sports website, ranked every teams most versatile player, and the Denver Nuggets had Nikola Jokic ranked as their most versatile player. Big Honey or the Joker, as Nikola Jokic is also known, is going into his second season in the NBA.
This is a piece of what Bleacher Report said on Jokic:
There are five player seasons in NBA history that equaled or exceeded Jokic’s rookie true-shooting, rebound and assist percentages, per Basketball-Reference.com (major h/t to Kelly Scaletta’s post at Today’s Fastbreak): Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1977-78, Charles Barkley in 1986-87, Barkley again in 1992-93, Kevin Garnett in 2005-06 and Kevin Love in 20131-14.
That’s it.
Jokic takes apart smaller defenders in the post, can shoot out to the three-point line, passes as well as any center in the league and presents opponents with no-win situations as a dive man in the pick-and-roll.
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Big Honey last season was nominated and selected for the All-Rookie First team. But, Jokic will not stop there. After his dominating performance against the USA, the Serbian Sensation needs to continue to excel in his second season. Jokic averaged 10.0 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game in his rookie campaign.
His defense has been a problem, and transitioning him to the power forward position is certainly as option for Coach Malone and his staff. Jokic should be able to improve his defense as he is only 21.
This season should an exciting one in the Mile High, and the Joker’s improvement will be a key.