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The Denver Nuggets made an ambitious call in 2015 when they decided to build their roster around their second-round pick from the year before, Nikola Jokic. Team President Josh Kroenke explained why they decided to build around Jokic instead of Jusuf Nurkic at the time.
"The thing that was unfortunate was the league was trending to small-ball, shooting everywhere. It was even more extreme than it is now, everyone was trying to be the Warriors overnight. You couldn't play Nikola and Jusuf together. We had two 7-footers who were incredibly skilled and unselfish guys, but trying to play them together, it presented its advantages, but it was tough for them to cover when you've got four guards out there moving in sync, it's a tough defensive cover."
Kroenke then revealed a statistical analysis showed Jokic was outperforming sophomore-season Larry Bird, which ultimately tipped the scales in Jokic's favor.
"After Nikola's first season, he made First Team All-Rookie. We were halfway through his second year and we realized we had to choose. They're both starting-level centers. Jusuf's contract was coming up in a year, so we had our analytics group run a bunch of numbers of how to compare the two and what to look for... This comparison comes through with Player A and Player B in their second season with the only difference being that Player A was two years older at the time of his second season. You could see Player B's numbers were better in every category. I guessed that Player B was Nikola... Player A was Larry Bird."
MPJ gets a lot of heat (deserved) for his podcast, but this is one of the best Jokić stories I’ve ever heard.
— PBR (@Nuggetsby40) April 17, 2024
How owner Josh Kroenke and staff chose Jokić over Nuckić pic.twitter.com/Y5vyIRyIzB
The decision to build around Jokic over Nurkic was controversial at the time, but everyone can say that it was the right decision without a doubt. While Nurkic has had a solid NBA career, he never progressed to an All-Star level while Jokic is looking to seal his third MVP in four seasons and hopefully, a back-to-back NBA title.
The statistical comparison that showed Jokic was better than Bird might have been more precise, but Kroenke does mention the involvement of PER 36 stats. Sophomore Larry Bird averaged 19.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per 36 minutes played, while Jokic averaged 21.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists as a sophomore.
Nikola Jokic Looking To Beat The Lakers Once Again
The Nuggets title-defense tour will have to go through Los Angeles, as the Nuggets face the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. The Nuggets swept the Lakers in their 2023 playoff matchup and swept them in the 23-24 regular season. Nonetheless, Jokic isn't underestimating his opposition given how tough their games have been.
"I think every game in the playoff series was really tough, it could have gone either way. It was probably the toughest series we had. Yes, we beat them 4-0, but they're a really talented team. Well-built, they have a couple of guys. I have huge respect for them and I think it'll be an interesting series/round."
Jokic averaged 7.8 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 11.8 assists against the Lakers over the 2023 series. He's averaging 29.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 9.0 assists in three games this season, which should worry the Lakers if they hope to get over the hump and pull off a massive upset in the first round.
More must-reads:
- Celtics’ Brad Stevens named NBA’s Executive of the Year
- Clippers' Kawhi Leonard to remain out for Game 5
- The 'NBA Coach of the Year' quiz
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