If the annual playoff referendum on Nikola Jokic’s defense has already commenced, Jokic himself might have put an amusing stop to it during the first round.
As self-deprecating as ever, he didn’t mince words when asked how he can guard Lakers center Anthony Davis better after a barrage of buckets forced Michael Malone to cross-match, hiding Jokic on a lesser scoring threat in Game 2.
“He’s an offensive monster, and defensive, too,” Jokic said. “… He’s a really good offensive player. And I’m not really good defensively one-on-one. Let’s say it like that.”
Jokic chuckled as he finished, bracingly comfortable with the acknowledgment of his limitations. His words could carry some weight beyond this first-round series, depending on Denver’s potential future matchups and how Malone determines Jokic is best deployed as a defender.
But the comment was also a reminder that he’s getting his biggest stumbling block out of the way early.
Davis exposed Jokic in Game 2 for a staggering six-minute stretch that mercifully became a footnote in Denver’s dramatic comeback win. But if the Nuggets survive the Lakers and advance, is any other Western Conference center capable of replicating what Davis briefly accomplished?
If the Nuggets face the Timberwolves in the second round, Rudy Gobert’s minutes will likely be mirrored with Jokic’s because Minnesota needs to try neutralizing Jokic at the other end of the floor. But that means Jokic can likewise match up on Gobert, an adequate but not elite offensive threat, while Aaron Gordon guards Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid more. If Phoenix is the opponent, Jusuf Nurkic is not enough of a scorer for Denver to worry about cross-matching Jokic away from him.
The same goes for most of the centers on the other side of the West bracket: Ivica Zubac of the Clippers, Daniel Gafford or Derek Lively III of the Mavericks, and Jonas Valanciunas or Larry Nance Jr. of the Pelicans. Chet Holmgren would be the interesting. The lanky Oklahoma City center averaged three more points per game against the Nuggets than his season total, and he shot 3.9% better than his average. He’s more of a driving threat against Jokic than a post-up threat. But if that ever becomes a recurring issue, Denver can experiment with a strategy other Thunder opponents have tried this season: putting the starting center on Josh Giddey, using him as a helper and playing the percentages. (Giddey was 33.7% from three).
That’s essentially what Malone did with Jokic in the second half of Game 2 against the Lakers, only a more daring version — Los Angeles’ Rui Hachimura shot 42% from three this season.
“That allowed Nikola, with his IQ, to kind of roam and protect and communicate as a back-line defender, where he’s phenomenal,” Malone said Wednesday before the Nuggets flew to Los Angeles for Game 3.
Jokic isn’t anywhere near as bad a defender as his quote implies, even if there’s some truth to the notion that guarding on-ball is his weakness. His strength is his understanding of spacing and angles.
The Nuggets tend to have Jokic play up at the level of the screen on pick-and-rolls, relying on rotations from other defenders underneath to cover the roller. He has excellent hands; he finished the regular season tied for sixth in the NBA at three deflections per game. And as Malone said, when Jokic doesn’t have to be glued to a matchup, his IQ is often better maximized with the luxury to roam.
With 7:15 left in the second quarter of Game 2, Jokic sank to help Justin Holiday with an off-ball paint mismatch against Hachimura. Davis got the ball at the foul line and drove into Jokic for an easy layup off the glass. The rest of the half became a nightmare. Davis got isolated against Jokic, dropped a shoulder into him and easily created enough space for a turnaround baseline jumper. He plowed into Jokic twice for hook shots in the lane. On a pick-and-roll with D’Angelo Russell, Jokic was in drop coverage, so Davis punished him with an open mid-range jumper.
Jokic adjusted by guarding Davis tighter on the perimeter, so he had to switch onto LeBron James on a dribble handoff. James got by him and dropped it to a rolling Davis for another easy layup. Then on the same DHO from the right wing, Jokic dropped back to cover Davis sooner, but Davis curled to his spot on the left baseline again. He hit a jumper on Jokic’s face.
Fourteen points for Davis in a span of 5:25, with Jokic involved every time. No missed shots.
“Just maybe (need) to be a little more into him,” Jokic said. “Don’t let him go to his spots so easy.”
The good news is, Jokic is ripping off the most painful bandage in the first round.
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