How to stop Nikola Jokic? If there was a simple answer, chances are at least one of the twenty-nine other teams in the NBA with their massive coaching roster, analytics, and technology would have figured it out by now…right?
After being handed another loss, 124-114 by their Western Conference Finals opponent this past weekend, Lakers forward Lebron James answered the question, “Is there an answer to Nikola Jokic right now?” by simply stating, “No. There is none.” Outsourcing the Lakers by eighteen in the second half, the Denver Nuggets were paced by Jokic’s game-high 35 points (including 11 in the third quarter), 10 rebounds, and 7 assists in 39 minutes.
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With their final regular season meeting in the bag, the only time the Nuggets and Lakers could meet up will be during the 2023-24 playoffs. Currently, the Nuggets sit tied for second in the Western Conference, all but locked into a top-four spot. As for the Lakers, they once again find themselves battling for a play-in tournament seed.
On one hand, you have a team with arguably the NBA’s greatest player of all time and a teammate who is among the top 75 players in league history (76 if you want to include Klay Thompson). On the other side of the court, you have a player who was drafted in the second round and 41st overall and who has carried a team without any other All-Stars or All-NBA Team players.
So what is it that has elevated Nikola Jokic to become one of the greatest big men of all time and one of the most dominating players in the game today and why are teams struggling to find ways to stop him? Check out the current odds for Denver Nuggets.
By The Numbers
As the NBA heads into the backstretch of the 2023-24 season with approximately twenty games left on the schedule for each team, the quiet Serbian giant known as “Joker” has shown his dominance over every team he has played against.
Well, almost every team. The Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets, and Chicago Bulls, all managed to hold Jokic far below his scoring average of 25 points and 12 boards, because in the words of Charles Barkley, they are terrible and Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone hardly played his star big man more than twenty minutes per game against the Eastern Conference bottom feeders.
However, when it comes to competing against the top-tier teams in the league, both Miami and Cleveland were able to hold Jokic to 18 points 10 rebounds (11 against the Heat), and 7 assists. On the flip side, the Nuggets big man rattled off 34 points, 12 boards, and 9 helpers against the best team in the league, the Boston Celtics. What does this say about Nuggets and Jokic potential in the NBA futures? Can they be stopped?
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, left, gestures as Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic watches during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Scouting Report: How To Stop Jokic?
Eliminating the bottom-feeding teams of the league from the answer, what is the best strategy that opposing teams have to at least contain the former two-time MVP and front-runner for a third honor this season?
Double Teaming:
While this is a commonly used strategy that teams use against a dominant superstar, the problem becomes leaving a man open. With Jokic’s elite passing ability, which makes him one of the best Denver Nuggets players of all time, this often results in an open shot for the team from Colorado.
Mobile Defenders:
Slower big men have trouble guarding Jokic on the perimeter and smaller big men have the same problem in the paint. When Joker squares off against players such as Bam Adebayo or Domantas Sabonis, who have size, athleticism, and strength, they can at least disrupt his flow.
Nikola Jokić tonight:
35 points 🏀
10 rebounds 🪨
7 assists 🎯+15 🤩
Lakers’ daddy pic.twitter.com/sIsaiXwItb
— Ethical Hoops🏆 (only takes Ws) (@EthicalHoopz) March 3, 2024
Second Chances:
Currently averaging 12.2 rebounds per game, good enough for fourth in the league, keeping Jokic off the glass is a job that is easier said than done. While many have made their opinions known about Joker’s perceived lack of athleticism, teams still struggle to keep the 6’11”, 280lb giant from corralling missed shots.
Keep Him Guessing:
Throwing a variety of defensive strategies at Jokic and the Nuggets can help limit his ability to exploit matchups. Alternating defenders, switching between man and zone, throwing a double team (considering his elite passing ability, chances are he will just find the open man, likely with a highlight-worthy no-look pass), face face-guarding him are just a few of the basic options that could at least limit Jokic.
Limited Touches:
Jokic is talented enough to impact a Nuggets victory without having to carry the team in scoring. Whether he is dropping a dime or making the hockey assist, the Nuggets are one of just a limited number of NBA teams that run their offense through their big man. By limiting the amount of time that he has the ball in his hands, teams will potentially have a better chance of winning. However, this is easier said than done.
With the rare ability to read the game better than the majority of the players on the court, Jokic has been known to make the most complicated play look simple and anticipate a second option should the first plan go wayward.
Death. Taxes. And Nikola Jokic making improbable buzzer beaters against the Lakers 😂 pic.twitter.com/OTVTEGEQ2D
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) March 3, 2024
Who Can Stop Nikola Jokic To Become MVP Again?
Currently among the front runners to contend for the NBA title, their second in three seasons, the only strategy that teams haven’t attempted to use is to distract Jokic by buying him a horse.
Still, don’t be surprised come playoff time if one of his opponents offers a pony to Jokic to feed into the Serbian giant’s obsession with horses, in an effort to distract him.
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