He knew how to play when run off of his spots, and even showed some impressive agility and ball-handling skills creating versus bigger, slower centers. Thanks in part to his more consistent stroke, Jokic has turned into a tough cover from the perimeter even if he's not going to create space for step backs like Kristaps Porzingis or blow by defenders with quickness a la Karl Towns.Īs a 19-year-old playing in the Adriatic League, Jokic always had the ability to get defenders in the air with shot fakes, attack an open area and stride his way to soft floaters in the lane. He is pudgy, yet light on his feet, loose yet fluid and instinctual with the ball. Jokic has always had a very unique skill set for a 6' 11 250-plus-pound big in terms of his ball skills, body control and coordination. Please enable Javascript to watch this video
Here's a look at the strides Jokic has made as a shooter from the 2013-14 season until now: Jokic shot only 22% from three in Adriatic League play in 13-14 and proved he needed time and space to be effective from beyond the arc which is still very much the case today as he's benefited from longer closeouts while playing the five. There was never much doubt about his overall natural touch, but the results weren't always there in game play, as his mechanics broke down a bit when heavily contested. Jokic always showed glimpses as a shooter throughout the 2013-14 Mega Leks season and during his week in Portland at the Nike Hoop Summit. Jokic is one of only 11 NBA bigs 6' 10 or taller to be shooting over 35% from three on at least 2.0 attempts per 40 minutes, making him a rarity as a stretch five, especially when coupled with his elite court vision. Jokic's improved marksmanship from distance has played a sizeable role in the expansion of his offensive game he's shooting a career-high 36.5% from three while scoring 1.12 points per possession on catch and shoot jumpers. Here's a 360-degree breakdown of Jokic's evolution as a player: The Sombor, Serbia native has made great strides in a handful of areas (and little progress in others) since he was most-heavily evaluated during the 2013-14 Mega Leks season and 2014 Nike Hoop Summit. He's helping the Nuggets hang around the playoff hunt amidst an entertaining, free-flowing brand of basketball. Jokic, who all 30 teams passed on at least once in the 2014 NBA Draft, has greatly exceeded expectations in just his second season. The majority of hardcore NBA fans know the story of Nikola Jokic by now a pudgy teenager without much serious basketball experience turned polarizing NBA point center with future All-Star potential in just a matter of years.
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