The Denver Nuggets have reached the NBA Finals this season and in that process, many people have labelled Nikola Jokic as the best player in the league. Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard has recently spoken very highly of the Nuggets big man.
During an Instagram live Lillard shared that despite not being his pick for the MVP during the regular season, Jokic is the best player in the league. This mostly comes after the Serbian center has guided his team to their first-ever NBA finals.
“Joker might be the best player in the league,” Lillard said.
He still believes that Joel Embiid deserved the MVP award this season for his exploits. But that does not change Lillard’s pick for the best player in the league which is Nikola Jokic.
“The best player doesn’t always win MVP. I thought (Joel) Embiid should’ve won MVP this year. I thought Embiid should’ve won MVP. But, that boy Joker, he might be the best player in the league,” Lillard added.
The Trail Blazers’ point guard further broke down his statements with some supporting statements. He shared how Jokic is always involved in the game and makes a strong all-around impact. He believes that the Serb is an organic triple-double player.
“He’s one of those players that gets, like, an organic triple-double. Joker plays the game the same every game,” Lillard continued. “He’ll score 45, he’ll get 25 rebounds, sometimes he might have 18 assists, and then he might do all of it in the same game. 45, 22, and 14 … And he doesn’t miss shots. Watching him play and playing against him, it’s like, (he) don’t ever miss.”
Lastly he shared how Jokic has almost all the traits as a perfect all-around basketball player. Starting from shooting ability, passing and is also a proper team man. He also puts an emphasis on him being humble and that’s what makes him likeable.
“Smart as hell, he can shoot, he passes, he plays team ball, he cares about winning, he’s humble, he stays true. I like how Joker does his thing,” he concluded.
Jokic averaged 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on 63.2% shooting in the regular season as the Nuggets finished on the summit of the Western Conference with an envious 53-29 record.
However, he has taken his game to the next level in the playoffs after finishing second in the MVP race. He is averaging 29.9 ppg, 13.3 rebounds per game, 10.3 assists per game, and 1.1 steals per game on 53.8% shooting in 15 playoff matches. The Nuggets are already in the NBA Finals and are waiting for the winner of the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat to join them. There is a good chance that if Jokic continues to play this way then the Nuggets may win their first-ever NBA title in their maiden final appearance.
