Nikola Jokic has proved himself to be an exemplary NBA player with his performance last season. The Denver Nuggets center propelled the team to their first NBA championship with his valuable contributions and skills. Speaking on Pat Bev’s podcast, Los Angeles Lakers star D’Angelo Russell also praised Jokic’s performance, despite getting swept by him in last season’s Western Conference Finals.
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Nikola Jokic’s humbleness is something that the entire NBA community applauds about him. D’Angelo Russell recalled an incident of Jokic answering the press about scoring points in a JV game. In a much more humble manner, Jokic replied he would play the way just as he does, in the most legible fashion, as he plays for his NBA games.
D’Angelo Russell praises Nikola Jokic after getting swept by the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals
D’Angelo Russell was all praises for Nikola Jokic on Pat Beverley’s podcast. Jokic has a unique style of playing the game, using his intelligence in the best capacities alongside his teammates. Jokic’s vision for passing is much praised by everyone in the community, including Russell. Jokic’s ball handling can prove deadly for opponent teams, which Russell had first-hand experience in the Western Conference Finals.
“They [Denver Nuggets] got the best player in basketball. Yes, they got the best player in basketball in their team, no disrespect to nobody. The best player in the NBA right now, not even close to Denver, you can’t breathe. Dude, Jokic. I said this like two years ago. I was like, Bro, how do you guard him? How do you guard somebody that don’t even want the ball? I ain’t gonna say he don’t want the ball. But he don’t care.”
To explain Nikola Jokic’s humbleness, Russell gave the example of a media meeting of Jokic. The Joker was asked if he would ever compete in a JV team against American high school players. Jokic’s humble answer had moved Russell, which he used as an example in the podcast.
“He said something crazy. This put things in perspective for him. He said ‘If I was in a JV game, I’d average a triple double’ or I just play the right way he said something simple. And I was just like nobody else is saying nothing like that. You play the JV game trash or 80. You try and get 100 points. And no, you’re playing a JV High School game. This dude gonna have 10,10,10,10, and 10. It’s the quintuple double.”
In the Finals series against the Miami Heat, Nikola Jokic emerged as the match MVP in the Nuggets’ 4-1 win. Throughout the series, Nikola Jokic averaged 30.2 points per game, 14.0 rebounds, and 7.2 assists.
There has been no quintuple-double in the NBA except for an unofficial Wilt Chamberlain record
Although there is no official record of a quintuple-double in the NBA, Wilt Chamberlain did score this feat in a game in 1968. Chamberlain scored 53 points, 32 rebounds, 14 assists, 24 blocks, and 11 steals. He achieved this feat while playing for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Los Angeles Lakers.
While this record is very much there in NBA history, it is not counted as an official record. The NBA only started counting blocks in their stats in 1972. Perhaps, Nikola Jokic might be able to mark this record officially for the first time in the modern era of the NBA.
