Nikola Jokic is considered an anomaly and one of the biggest athletes to emerge in the league recently. Touted as one of the toughest players to beat, there have been major contributors in his journey so far. Without a doubt, Micah Nori is one of them. However, after Jokic was drafted, coach Nori stated, “I didn’t even know his name then”, maybe because they had the likes of Gary Harris and Jusuf Nurkic and couldn’t find a spot for the Serbian in the squad. Now, the 50-year-old has some issues with the Joker as he believes he doesn’t get enough credit for shaping the athlete.
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During a recent conversation on ‘SiriusXM’, the former assistant coach for the Nuggets said that he is still waiting to be acknowledged by Jokic for everything he did for him in the initial years of his NBA career. Nori claimed that Jokic didn’t take professional decisions to heart, and, now, they share a good relationship.
However, the Wolves assistant coach unveiled that the Nuggets star still hilariously takes a dig at him at every opportunity, “He kids with me all the time. To this day, he still sends me gifs of Forrest Gump running across country because he says that’s what he did that Summer League.” Even though it’s all fun and games between them, it doesn’t mean that Nori isn’t looking for the credit.
Micah Nori coached Nikola Jokić during his time coaching the Nuggets Summer League team. Hear what gif Jokić still sends to him 🤣🤣@TheFrankIsola | @Scalabrine pic.twitter.com/514XXd5SHh
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) May 1, 2024
He added,
“I told him that it was a motivational tactic to make him the player that he is today, and I would just appreciate if he’d just say thank you. He’s got three MVPs and he’s yet to mention my name in any acceptance speech.”
In all probability, Jokic is about to bag his third league MVP title. This could be the perfect time to include Micah Nori’s name in his acceptance speech. For now, the Wolves are the next hurdle in the Nuggets’ run.
Nikola Jokic’s basketball IQ might make all the difference against the Wolves
The defending champions have been brilliant yet again throughout the season and after blowing out the Lakers in the first round, their confidence must be at an all-time high facing Nori’ Wolves. His numbers against the Wolves have been impressive and fans would expect him to bring the same energy again.
The 29-year-old has a career average of 21.9 points, 10.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists with a 53.9 FG% against the Wolves. He has only faced the Minnesota franchise once in the postseason in 2023, with 27.2 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 9.0 assists.
Besides numbers, Jokic has pulled off miracles on the court because of his brilliant game knowledge. Several league stars would co-sign on that. After getting swept by the Nuggets in 2023, LeBron James heaped praise on the Joker for his ability to read the opposition in time and instruct his teammates on how to break their plans, “He sees plays before they happen.” Naturally, he will need all his skills if the defending champs aim to take down his former coach’s team, who are hot right now.
Undoubtedly, Jokic is almost an anomaly in the way he approaches his game and despite ruling the league at the moment, he likes to stay out of the limelight. For a guy who still trolls Nori with a Forrest Gump reference, the stats and his humility show that Jokic has come a long way.
