He’s the best player – Michael Malone hails Nikola Jokic after NBA Finals MVP performance

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has showered praise on Nikola Jokic, tipping him as the best player in the NBA currently. Jokic, who received MVP awards in the last two seasons, bagged the NBA Finals MVP for his prolific show against Miami Heat.

Jokic scored 28 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 assists in Game Five to take his team to glory as they won by 94-89 to win the series 4-1. Jokic became the first player in history to lead the league in points (600), rebounds (269), and assists (190) in a single postseason.

Jokic was just unbelievable in the post-season as he ticked all the right boxes for the Nuggets. The Serbian had an average of 30 points in the playoffs. Furthermore, he was scoring 13.5 rebounds per game and 9.5 assists per game in the postseason. Thus, he was awarded the Bill Russell trophy as the NBA Finals MVP.

Michael Malone said via NBA on TNT, “On the basketball court, he’s proven time and time again that he’s the best player in the NBA. He’s our MVP, we love him, and we’re thankful that he’s wearing a Nuggets uniform.”

Jokic was at his sublime best in the post-season and played a key role in the team’s success. The Serbian also became the first player in NBA history to have 25+ points and 15+ rebounds on 75 percent shooting in a championship-clinching win.

Earlier, Los Angeles Lakers veteran LeBron James had also lauded Nikola Jokic for his consistent performances.

“I know how great he is,” James said about Jokic after the Nuggets eliminated the Lakers.

“I know how great Jokic is. There are certain guys in this league that play the game a certain way, a certain way that I like to play the game as well, and he’s one of them where you are always off-balance when you are guarding a player like that because of his ability to score, rebound, shoot. He sees plays before they happen.

Jokic was able to prove his mettle and he will look to replicate the same show for the Nuggets.