Surprising the NBA world as the top seed in the West currently, the Denver Nuggets have been the best story of the league thus far. At the center of the Nuggets — both metaphorically and figuratively — Nikola Jokic has slowly and single handedly begun to revolutionize the modern NBA center and the expectations surrounding them.
Once referred to a “fat point guard” when he was young, Jokic has grown into his body while maintaining a point guard mindset. This season, Jokic is averaging 19.7 points (50% FG, 33% 3Pt), 10.2 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.4 steals across 31.4 minutes per contest. He’s emerging as a dark horse MVP candidate– for reasons beyond the opposition.
Among The Elite
Perhaps the most impressive stat is his assists. Among all NBA centers, he ranks first in assists– and it’s not even close. His ability to run the offense as a point-center has revolutionized the position and created yet another matchup nightmare in the league. While stars like Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden all possess scoring dominance, Jokic’s ability to distribute the ball to great catch-and-shoot shooters and athletic cutters as seen below makes him just as dangerous:
https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1082825418267254784
His court vision is unmatched at his position and comparable to some of the best point guards and passers of this generation. The Nuggets often run their offense solely through him and his ability to distribute the ball, even in the most difficult situations.
Looking deeper into the statistics, Jokic leads all centers with a whopping 71 passes per game. This results in him also leading all centers in points created with 17.4 per game. This means that on top of his 19 points scored per game, he is creating another 17 and change for his team via his passing. His passes per game are on track to being the highest amount from a center all-time.
High Praise From Malone
After leading all centers in this category last year as well, it is undeniable that Jokic has become one of the games best distributors.
“He was a point guard growing up, he had the ball in his hands. That’s why I think his ball handling, his passing are where they’re at because he has that foundation growing up.” — Nuggets head coach Mike Malone on Jokic’s upbringing.
This unique skillset has resulted in Jokic averaging the most assists by a center since Wilt Chamberlain’s 8.6 assists per game in 1967-68. When you accompany Jokic’ elite passing with his ability to shoot the three as a 7 footer, this has made the Denver Nuggets a force to be reckon with.
