“It’s Impossible to Guard Nikola Jokic”: The Joker Gets Ultimate Praise From Bucks Coach

None of the NBA MVP races in the history of the game had fans and experts criticizing a candidate as much as they have done this year with Nikola Jokic.

The Nuggets’ 6ft 11’ basketball genius has been under a bit of criticism and trolling since Kendrick Perkins accused him of being a stat-padder and the voters of being biased against players of color.

However, the Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer has an entirely different opinion from the so-called experts of the game.

Mike Budenholzer believes guarding Nikola Jokic is impossible

NBA coaches should be on the top shelf among the “experts” who can exactly tell where a player stands in terms of abilities, skills, or even greatness for that matter. And when an opposition coach says something good about a player, it can be considered a fact, irrespective of the fact that an NBA champ believes otherwise.

As the no.1 in the East visited Denver to play the best in the West, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s coach, when asked to give his two cents on what he learned about guarding The Joker over the years, had a two word response, “it’s impossible”.

What have you learned about guarding Nikola Jokić over the years?

Mike Budenholzer: “It’s impossible.”

— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) March 25, 2023

If he were really a stat-padder, it would never be difficult to stop him. Especially when you had a player like the Greek Freak to do the job. But not just DPOY Giannis, nobody in the entire NBA could claim to have consistently locked the big Serbian up.

Are Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid as unstoppable?

It’s a fact in the basketball community that Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid cannot be stopped on their heyday.

The 7-foot Greek international’s size and athleticism are no match for the bigs in the league, including Embiid and Jokic.

The Cameroonian is also unstoppable in his own rights. His versatility on offense and dominance on the defense has shot up to another stratosphere. But the Joker, with his out-of-the-world vision, excels in playmaking. That probably makes him the hardest to guard in the NBA.

Whoever wins the MVP this season, it would be unfair to the others. So, let’s not be more unfair and belittle them for the smallest of things they are not doing well in their tremendous seasons.

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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