An evaluation of the mystery that is the mind of Nikola Jokic.
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42 Comments
What are your feelings on the Joker's mindset?
Personally I would have a problem with someone being publicly so indifferent and even negative about the game. I don't understand how he is so good without ever practicing but you need to show some respect and appreciation for something that has given you fame, A LOT of money and success. If you don't care about these things you can just pack and go home to your horses, I mean why do it? Just retire and call it a day. I like people being down to earth and direct but this is taking it too far. It's like my manager asking me what do you think about this matter and I reply I don't care, whatever, I just want my paycheck. It doesn't look good even if I am technically doing my job.
Jokic is so brutally honest….it is a job…and it isn't his passion….his passion is horses…
Nikola Jokic loves horse racing but accidentally grew two feet too tall to be competitive, so he had to dominate the world of basketball to subsidise his passion and live vicariously through tiny men he sponsors.
Serbian culture is different…he is a team player and team culture is very important
I absolutely adore it. Golden Joker.
Nikola Jokic is the perfect example of 'Do what your good at so that you can do what you like'!
I am not worried, Jokic don't love basketball, but he doesn't hate it, he has a grear sense of duty, so as long as he is able to do his job, he will, he has a winner mentality, he is the "first to get there last one to leave" leadership, he will continue to play at this elite level, and he will continue to be down to earth about it, as long as he thinks he can perform his best, he has his own sense of pride and ego, just like everyone else, he just is more chill about it.
Back in the 1970 I was a kid at a basketball camp in Eugene Oregon. At the camp one of the NBA champions was there and he flat out refused to touch or shoot a basketball because he was so burned on basketball from playing in the NBA and going all the way to the finals championship.
Youre blowing this totally out of the water. Hes a professional, he loves basketball as any other pro in the league, he just isnt american and he doesnt want to be. He doesnt want to go to Serbia because thats where the horses are, he wants to go there because thats where his culture and family are. Not once could you have said you saw this man play bad on purpose to be eliminated during the playoffs, hes had plenty of hard fought series. Hes a foreigner doing a job where he excels and likes to do to get paid for the rest of his life. Dont question his productivity on the court until you have proof he play bad on purpose to leave quicker
Jokic will care about his basketball because he cares about his teammates and will want to win for his team mates and go to the finals and win for them. Its the same logic as military. They don’t always like fighting the war but give it their all for the guy next to them in the fox hole. It’s why he likes to throw assists because it makes him and the other player both feel good.
Until his lax attitude negatively affects his performance, I have no problem with his bluntness. Can't imagine he's irresponsible enough to blatantly underperform in the playoffs just to go home early.
I think it's great for the NBA. I like athletes who work hard at their craft like Jokic clearly does, but have other passions outside the sport. They tend to be seemingly mentally healthier and less insecure.
It's great for the joker. What does it matter what drives him when we know he is gonna deliver not only in the regular season but especially in the postseason? Personally it's fascinating and refreshing for me to see a great player approach the game as if it's not the sole thing driving him. By telling the world that the game isn't the biggest thing in his life he is showing that he isn't a slave to the game and that the nba in the grand scheme of things is a job, a very high paying and glamorize d job but a job nonetheless.His family and his culture drives him which is why I believe he approaches basketball the way he does and why he is so even keel. He approaches the game and most importantly life the way that causes the least amount of stress. There has never been instances of instability or recklessness in his personal life and particularly not on the court which contrastly you will find with a majority of the all time greats mj and kobe included. I say that to say that the joker is a unique talent among a fine line of historically unique and great talents in this league. He is certainly in a class by himself. Just accept him as such. Ultimately it does no good to try and unravel the enigma that is Nikola Jokic just soak in the greatness.
[Joker – Jordan] care continuum #1: social validation; need for people to view you as the GOAT
[Joker – Jordan] care continuum #2:
Internal validation; cares about teammates and family over and above 'winning'
I'll take #2
I have alot of Serbian friends.. He is a unicorn.. But yoi can tell hes also feeding into that joker persona
Imagine how much better he would be, if he had more passion. Scary
I think that another man's oppinion should not change your pesonal one. We can just respect Jokic for what he is, thank him for what he is doing especially knowing that basketball isn't his favourite thing to do and let him be himself.
If you love the game, no one can change that!
Lol i like this chanel but all youre doing is taking certain clips that fit your narative to make a video on… Relax, he loves basketball
I believe that he loves the game for one very important distinction. I believe he loves the game of basketball but not the NBA, hear me out. There's a difference between playing basketball outside your driveway with your kid or playing pick up at your local park and gym. Basketball in its purest form is just that basketball. While the NBA is a business model built around the game that will always cater to the business aspect of the association. Meanwhile the incentives given in the NBA aren't valuable to Jokic I believe because his culture in Serbia that certainly isn't as obsessed with external reward like our culture worships. Meanwhile the media market of the NBA, that will go all season overlooking the nuggets and their regular season success all of a sudden want this amazing speech from Jokic. Where's the coverage and attention throughout the season? Then on top of that the game is so easy for him plus the length of the seasons having to be away from family so long doing something that barley keeps your interest is hard, hence the comparison to a 9-5. Again it's easy to talk about the love of the game but if you had to play everyday for hours not because you love it but because you have to to feed your family it can be annoying. Esspecially if you love the game because then you feel like you begin to hate it in the context of the grind of the NBA. It's easy to see he has passion for it but lets be real and not act like everyone has to be kobe or jordan to love the game.
Hmm he says it more tongue and cheek more so than literally dude ofc he cares about basketball that’s why he’s so skilled. Saying he doesn’t care is kinda wild cuz if u watch him play forget what he says just watch him play he for sure cares u seen him in the close out game getting on his teammates ass
Tbh, we can forze him to be somebody he won't be. I don't think he is not passionated, c'mon man, that touch this man has is one of the best ever (as good as Larry Bird's) and that wasn't because he just practiced it while he got the chance. I admire he knows life is more than working hard and being the best pro. We all know the NBA will like to have an workaholic american as the best player, so passionate like Jordan or Kobe, that means more money to them, but Jokic is enjoying his life rn, no matter what, and he is spending time with his family.
Jokic plays with obvious pride and love for the game. He just doesn’t like all the hoopla.
No biggie.
To me it seems like he doesn’t want the attention so he’s lame in interviews to keep the media at arms distance. I mean, to a certain extent, Kareem did this too. He wasn’t that interested despite having a love for the game.
You just created a new narrative Perk could milk for the whole season bro.
Shi just a job for him fr😂
Here's something that stands out to me – someone asked him if he's played basketball this summer, to which he replied, "only a couple of times" (prob not an exact quote). Yet, a different interviewer asked him basically the same thing, and he said his practice and conditioning program is the exact same as he's done in years before. Which, I've heard, is pretty intense. I have to believe that this dude is the absolute master of downplaying things.
Besides the insane talent of the starting five and a few other players, one of the crucial reasons for Denver winning the championship is exactly the Joker's anti-stardom. In that kind of atmosphere, it is way easier to respect the leader (Joker), have great chemistry, and concentrate on the game. However media loves it much more when a leader, for example, waves the gun on the Intragram live, cause they have something to talk about. Anyway, I don't see a problem here cause Joker is contagious only with his playing style, not so much with his attitude toward self-promotion. I mean, the NBA will survive Jokic and maybe even thrive a bit more because of him. I don't think that NBA needs only assholes like MJ was, competitive maniacs like Kobe was, and Superman that wants to play in his late 50', like LeBron. Btw Jokic as a foreign player in the NBA endured much more on-court harasing and beating in the last 8 years than all the other gentlemen mentioned above combined during their respective careers. So I think that is one of the main reasons for him not being "in love" with his job anymore.
On the other hand we got, let's say "passionate" attitude of Memphis' starters that didn't work as well as LBJ's 30 first half points. Year ago Jokic seriously lost on weight during off-season which is direct evidence that he takes his job seriously. What about Zion who constantly "doesn't feel like Zion"? Jokkic isn't flashy but deadly effective. Billups for example wasn't flashy either but he made every team better where he was playing.
You can find doing your best and improving motivating without getting anything notable out of winning itself.
Gonna be honest I think it’s slightly distasteful. There are millions of guys that busted their ass, endured injuries, surgeries, worked out rigorously, played basketball all day and everyday only to never make the NBA. At least be appreciative to the history of the league, the fans and this country for changing your life and giving you this opportunity to change your family’s lives. Make it less obvious that you don’t give af
I find Jokic´s mindset spot on. Passion doesn´t win you championships or MVP trophies. You can be the best as much as you want, it´still mostly NOT under your control ifyou win or lose. Why? Because you can´t do it all on your own and because some of the deciding factors, e.g. for becoming MVP, are unclear/not defined. So it´s in your best interest to do expectation management and to focus on things you can control. Everything else is a cherry on top. So yeah, he´s right to not give a F. And still he delivers. For an European, that´s normal. You Americans just can´t wrap your head about not being the center of the world for everyone.
It's a wake up call for all American culture-dominated cultures around the world. Not everything revolves around American opinion.
Your reading too much into this.
I'm german, not serbian.
He was exausted, he missed home and is still not loving life in the usa.. Thats all human and normal.
in a few years he will have some horses in the usa. and his family. and he will be alright.. he loves bbal
In my opinion he is the definition of a strong work ethic. . He doesn't do it for accolades, praise or compliments. He does it because it is his job and he will give his best to make sure it gets done.. I don't think there is a currnent player or mindset that I respect more. I think the NBA could use a lot more of this attitude.
All the observations here are absolutely understandable, but in the end, isn't he a much better representation for the league than some superstars famous for not training well and partying on the regular?
Rodman is a legend, but if he weren't as good as he was, nobody would have anything remotely good to say about someone ho trained whenever he wanted, used to leave the team to go party, etc.
Or Iverson who by his own ammission joined training session whenever he wanted, if he wanted.
You can say you love the game and come back out of shape from the summer break, and then you have someone who doesn't feed into the media aspect of the league, but plays like a madman, dominates the league, wins MVPs and brings you chips.
Also, I can't help but think he overplays the persona a little bit
I love his attitude towards things. On another note I have 5 current players in my top 25 (LeBron #2, Curry #12, KD #14, Giannis & Jokic around 19-22)
INTJ Sigmas Unite! ✊🏽
As Nuggets ex GM Tim Connelly said, he never saw player less enthusiastic about signing super max contract, because he has enough money for the way of live he lives. Thing that separates him from average American star is why he is working like crazy to be the best. They are working for themselves, for their legacies, individual awards, and titles are one of the things they need to get to achieve that goal. He is working to get titles to Denver, people who work for organization, teammates. First man he mentions when he talks of Denver is equipment manager Sparky Gonzales. He is playing for them.
IMHO he has an incredible work ethic. He improved because he felt that the prior year he let his teammates down.
As a Serbian fan, I think that you don't get how he is downplaying current situation of being the best in the game and trying to shift the focus to someone else. Regarding his dedication to basketball or job as he would say, I would say you don't have to be worried. He will give you all of his 100% on the court and won't show if he can't give his all (just like he didn't compete for the national team this year). If he gave his word, he will honor it and his word is his contract in this case.
Interesting and intriguing video Jonny. My speculation is that the Joker is a very talented basketball player.But maybe he doesn't enjoy competing as much as others? Only he knows?