Nikola Jokic surpasses legendary Wilt Chamberlain’s and LeBron James’ All-Time feats, as the Denver Nuggets defeat Warriors

26/02/2024 Raymond Basketball 0

In recent weeks, there has been a lot of discussion over the “next face of the NBA,” with both fans and commentators crowning players like Jayson Tatum and Anthony Edwards as the league’s future leaders after LeBron James and Stephen Curry.

Nikola Jokic is way too modest for all that showboating, so he’s probably relieved he’s not in the conversation. Jokic’s only job is to keep putting up numbers at an unprecedented rate in order to perhaps win a second NBA championship.

The current MVP of the NBA Finals conducted himself in silence once more on February 25, scoring 32 points, pulling down 16 rebounds, and dishing out 16 assists in the Denver Nuggets’ 119-103 victory over the Golden State Warriors. In the process, Jokic surpassed the legendary Wilt Chamberlain for most 30-15-15 games in NBA history and now trails only Oscar Robertson for most games with such a stat line.

 

In addition, Jokic (139) now has more triple-doubles in NBA history (including postseason) than James does. On the all-time list, he is currently just behind Magic Johnson (168), Russell Westbrook (210), and Robertson (189). Jokic, 29, is on track to surpass Westbrook, who is already an older Sixth Man for the Los Angeles Clippers, in terms of records.

 

Nikola Jokic: The Defender of the Rim

Jokic’s lack of toughness on the defensive end of the ball has been one of the few criticisms leveled at him over the years. For this reason, Denver mainly relies on Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to assist him with help-side defense and cover for his incapacity to guard the rim. But Jokic, like any all-time great, has worked on his weaknesses, playing a crucial role on defense during Denver’s championship 2023 run. During the game on February 25, Jokic had four steals and stopped Jonathan Kuminga and Stephen Curry from finishing several shots at the rim.

 

After the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr heaped praise on Jokic for being an underrated defender. “He’s just such a dominant force in every way,” Kerr said of Jokic. “He’s so smart defensively – four steals, anticipated a couple of passes that he stole.”

Is Nikola Jokic certain to win His Third MVP?

Jokic (-140) is the clear favorite to earn his third NBA MVP prize, according to BETMGM. Currently, OKC Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+220), an All-Star, is his greatest opponent and may even overtake Jokic if he can lead his team to the top seed in the Western Conference. Recently, there has been discussion about Tatum (+4000) possibly winning MVP, but this is hampered by the fact that the Celtics have two other players who score 20 points or more each game: Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis.

 

Following the Nuggets’ victory on February 25, NBA commentator Kendrick Perkins gave an explanation for why Jokic re-established himself as the front-runner for MVP.

“Just when the Warriors thought they had a chance, Jokic and [Jamal] Murray snatched their souls from them, and reminded the world that they’re the best duo in basketball,” Perkins said.