“…you got some guys in the league, the eye test tells you that they’re not good defensively, but analytics tell you they’re the best defenders. That’s when analytics don’t make sense at all. I don’t make the rules, I don’t choose whatever criteria that they use, so it’s really about whatever people’s preferences are…..” – Joel Embiid
New-Pollution536
‘The eye test’ aka the eye test of a guy trying to win mvp over jokic 😂
Anyone who still thought Jokic was a liability on defense clearly doesn’t watch the Nuggets and only followed brain dead narratives from 5 years ago
who_likes_chicken
Every time I hear or read anyone saying Joker isn’t that great of a defender… I just never know what to say.
Just because he isn’t explosively fast on defense doesn’t make him bad at all. He almost always rotates and contests great, and he knows how to literally turn into a brick wall at will lol
armadilloongrits
He’s fine.
We’re also playing a team that until the playoffs were well below average on offense.
tron7
Shoutout to Nate Duncan
Good_Quit_8742
Does this include the ones where he moves backwards and gives away a lay up?
d4m1r4k
It’s league wide conspiracy. Teams are not allowed to put him in PnR so that Denver win the chip and not Miami, they don’t want Udonis to tie Lebron with number of titles.
RB737
But Sixers fans told me he was a bad rim protector and would get destroyed in PnR 😥
Mygaffer
Super noisy stat but in any case Jokic has been playing great and just needed the right, fully healthy squad around him to go deep.
Drewfromflorida
Ever? Pretty broad brush to paint with there. It’s mostly because he’s 7” tall and doesn’t block a lot of shots. Honestly I feel like the narrative around Jokic is finally coming around. Casual fans and media/haters are finally realizing that just because he’s not a freak athlete – like Giannis or Lebron – and doesn’t block shots into the 6th row doesn’t mean he can’t play defense. He’ll never be peak Gobert defending the rim, but the offensive burden he carries is immense, his defense is passable and he’s not a complete liability. He knows where to be and he knows how to be a team defender. Most importantly, Dude NEVER gets tired. Fourth quarter and he’s still sprinting in transition after grabbing the rebound. Last point… is there a single player/package in the league the Nuggets would trade Jokic for? Giannis? Embiid? KD + Booker? Anybody? Not a chance. He’s now in the Lebron Jordan Bird Shaq stratosphere – you’re a title contender if he’s on your team and you have competent players around him. His brilliance with the ball in his hands and how he elevates every one of his teammates outweighs any and all (real or unreal) short comings he has on defense
12 Comments
“…you got some guys in the league, the eye test tells you that they’re not good defensively, but analytics tell you they’re the best defenders. That’s when analytics don’t make sense at all. I don’t make the rules, I don’t choose whatever criteria that they use, so it’s really about whatever people’s preferences are…..” – Joel Embiid
‘The eye test’ aka the eye test of a guy trying to win mvp over jokic 😂
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https://preview.redd.it/0da18wwskt4b1.jpeg?width=888&format=pjpg&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=112b5478f32b3b02cfd180a8fb11b268414ec515
Anyone who still thought Jokic was a liability on defense clearly doesn’t watch the Nuggets and only followed brain dead narratives from 5 years ago
Every time I hear or read anyone saying Joker isn’t that great of a defender… I just never know what to say.
Just because he isn’t explosively fast on defense doesn’t make him bad at all. He almost always rotates and contests great, and he knows how to literally turn into a brick wall at will lol
He’s fine.
We’re also playing a team that until the playoffs were well below average on offense.
Shoutout to Nate Duncan
Does this include the ones where he moves backwards and gives away a lay up?
It’s league wide conspiracy. Teams are not allowed to put him in PnR so that Denver win the chip and not Miami, they don’t want Udonis to tie Lebron with number of titles.
But Sixers fans told me he was a bad rim protector and would get destroyed in PnR 😥
Super noisy stat but in any case Jokic has been playing great and just needed the right, fully healthy squad around him to go deep.
Ever? Pretty broad brush to paint with there. It’s mostly because he’s 7” tall and doesn’t block a lot of shots. Honestly I feel like the narrative around Jokic is finally coming around. Casual fans and media/haters are finally realizing that just because he’s not a freak athlete – like Giannis or Lebron – and doesn’t block shots into the 6th row doesn’t mean he can’t play defense. He’ll never be peak Gobert defending the rim, but the offensive burden he carries is immense, his defense is passable and he’s not a complete liability. He knows where to be and he knows how to be a team defender. Most importantly, Dude NEVER gets tired. Fourth quarter and he’s still sprinting in transition after grabbing the rebound. Last point… is there a single player/package in the league the Nuggets would trade Jokic for? Giannis? Embiid? KD + Booker? Anybody? Not a chance. He’s now in the Lebron Jordan Bird Shaq stratosphere – you’re a title contender if he’s on your team and you have competent players around him. His brilliance with the ball in his hands and how he elevates every one of his teammates outweighs any and all (real or unreal) short comings he has on defense