‘I wish I had his skill set’: Dirk Nowitzki humbly explains why Nikola Jokic is a better player than he ever was

Amulya Shekhar | 25/09/2020
Dirk Nowitzki on Nikola Jokic

Dirk Nowitzki is the biggest NBA superstar to have virtually no haters. He added more reasons to why he’s so beloved with his response to comparisons with Nikola Jokic.

Nowitzki was the first shooting big man to revolutionize the NBA game. His inside out game pioneered the stretch 4 position. Nowitzki is the first and only 7 footer to average 50/40/90 shooting splits through the course of an NBA season.

He was the Finals MVP in the 2011 NBA Finals, and went on a monster run throughout those playoffs.

Nowitzki laughs off comparisons with Jokic, says his passing is ‘a joke’

The retired German power forward, who’s by consensus the greatest European player of all time, said he doesn’t believe he could ever have had Jokic’s skill set.

“Damn. That’s a compliment. I wish I had his skill set. His passing is so good it’s a joke. I unfortunately always wanted to score and not pass.”

Also Read: ‘America, take your hat off to Jokic”: Charles Barkley lauds Nikola Jokic for taking on Anthony Davis in Game 2 vs Lakers

The Denver Nuggets have rode heavily on Jokic’s overall offensive ability these playoffs. Quite often, when their other players have struggled to get going on the scoring end, Jokic has taken up the mantle upon himself.

His rainbow shots are a sight to behold. Jokic has also perfected the Nowitzki one-legged fadeaway jumper, making a number of those shots.

Also Read: Charles Barkley explains why Breonna Taylor’s case is different than George Floyd’s; does not agree with LeBron and co.

Comparisons to the greatest shooting big man ever were bound to happen given how consistent the Serbian has been over the last 2 seasons.

Post Edited By: Utkarsh Bhatla
Dirk Nowitzki Nikola Jokic

About the author

Amulya Shekhar

Amulya Shekhar is a sports junkie who thrives on the thrills and frills of live sports action across basketball, football (the American variant works too), parkour, adventure sports. He believes sports connect us to our best selves, and he hopes to help people experience sports more holistically.

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