A message to uninitiated: Yes, Nikola Jokic meant to do that. And, yes, he does it often.
It’s called the Sombor Shuffle, and in the estimation of the Grading the Week staff, it’s now replaced Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Skyhook as the most devastating shot in the history of basketball.
Nikola Jokic — A+
There are many variations of the Shuffle, but the general shape remains the same.
It starts with two steps to create space, done in the same deliberate fashion either backwards or to the side. Then Jokic swings the ball over his head, creating a launch angle from the top of his 6-foot-11 frame that no defender in the world has a chance of contesting.
And it ends with the release: A soft, high-arcing parabola that might touch a support beam in some old-school barn in middle America but always seems to drop through the net like it was guided by a laser.
There is, of course, one other element of the shot that is essential: There can only be a few seconds left on the shot clock for Jokic to attempt it. Because, even as devastating as it is, it’s always the Nuggets center’s last resort. He really doesn’t want to have to do this.
Perhaps that’s why, at first glance, there appears to be a certain amount of awkwardness to it — as if Jokic is trying something off-the-wall out of some combination reluctance and desperation.
Except that once you see him do it three or four times — with the same rhythmic steps, the same shooting motion and the same result — it becomes readily apparent: Not only has he practiced this, he’s perfected it to such a degree that he can execute it from just about anywhere on the court.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers found this out the hard way in the Western Conference Finals — most notably near the end of Game 4 when Jokic buried a modified Shuffle over Davis from 3-point range that Nuggets head coach Michael Malone deemed “the Sombor Sling.”
We’ll let James take the floor: “… Even when you guard him for one of the best possessions that you think you can guard him, he puts the ball behind his head Larry Bird style and shoots it 50 feet in the air and it goes in — like he did four or five times this series.”
Get used to it, LeBron. Because it ain’t going away anytime soon.
Sean Payton — B+
Welcome to Broncos offseason training activities, where head coach Sean Payton is making sure everyone knows who’s calling the shots.
Veteran kicker with a long history and even bigger salary? You can show yourself out, Brandon McManus.
Media members dedicated to covering the team he coaches? Keep those cellphones out of sight or take a walk.
News developments that occur during one of the rare practices those hacks are actually allowed to watch? Don’t even think about telling anyone about it until Premier Payton says it’s OK.
Yes, it’s a brave new world in Dove Valley. And the Grading the Week staff, for one, welcomes our new Pro Football Overlord. Whoever called this man a tyrant clearly doesn’t know what good leadership is.
Isaiah Stevens — A
Free advice for the kids: If someone gives you the opportunity to attend an extra year of college with all expenses paid, take it. Every time.
For that reason alone, we applaud Colorado State guard Isaiah Stevens’ decision to return to FoCo for his Super Senior year.
The fact that he instantly raises the Rams’ ceiling to Mountain West title contenders is just the cherry on top.
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