Ranking the top 100 NBA players — 5. Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic is the ultimate ironman, and despite persistent debate over his physical conditioning, he never seems to tire. Or, at the very least, it doesn’t impact his play. Jokic is as steady as they come. He won MVP last season not because Embiid got hurt, but because he was the NBA’s best regular season player. He would go on to lead Denver to the second round despite missing two of his three best teammates.
There is no question that Jokic is the most under-appreciated top-10 player. He’s such a joy to watch, and his impact metrics rival or exceed every player ahead of him on this list. He deserves to be here. This isn’t an overreaction to the MVP race, or some offshoot of a weird COVID-warped season. Jokic is entrenched in the upper echelon of NBA players, because he is in fact an upper echelon NBA player.
Last season, Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists on .566/.388/.868 shooting splits. The 7-footer is probably the most gifted passer in basketball. His ability to process the game is both baffling and brilliant. He attempts passes even the most daring point guards wouldn’t dream of. He manipulates defenses with his mind as much as his body, using every subtly in the book to overcome his slow, stodgy build.
People tend to underrated Jokic because he looks unathletic. He gets unfairly and incorrectly labeled a bad defender, and general audiences assume he doesn’t have the same dynamic upside as the LeBron’s and Giannis’s of the world. That’s not the case. Jokic is as good a tough-shot maker as anyone in the game. He can get his shot off from just about anywhere on the court, using weird angles and every bit of his 7-foot, 280-pound frame to work around ill-fated defenders.