Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic is one of a kind. After winning his third league MVP, he again displayed elite basketball at the Paris Olympics, coming short on the MVP voting as Serbia finished third. But this season, he has ramped up his play by a notch.
So far, in ten games, the near seven-footer has been averaging 29.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 11.7 assists. Staggering numbers considering the fact that he plays the center position. He also manages to achieve those figures despite not being athletic as other players are.
Due to his performances, the Denver Nuggets are standing currently with a 7-4 record. In their latest loss, his impact showed as his teammates could not muster up a win against the struggling New Orleans Pelicans. In two other losses, he was self-critical, even though in one of them he notched his season high in points.
Such has been his impact this season that barring the opening night loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Nuggets have been playing crisp elite basketball with him orchestrating the offense. That became the topic of discussion for former NBA champions Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce on the show The Ticket & The Truth.
He’s dominating the league. Have we ever had someone lead the league in rebounding and assists? Hell no, not even close.
Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce on Nikola Jokic
KG and Paul Pierce talk Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets
“Have we ever had someone lead the league in rebounding and assists? Hell no – not even close” pic.twitter.com/0nx8RkJADt
— n i k o l a e s t h e t i c (@nikolaesthetic) November 15, 2024
They pointed to the fact that Nikola Jokic plays such elite basketball that defenses should actually let him score more, since only then is there a possibility of his teammates not getting the ball. That is the only way to defeat the Denver Nuggets. That goes to show the 29-year-old’s value to his team.
Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce assess Nikola Jokic’s value
Talking about value, Jayson Tatum holds the current highest contract in the NBA at $315 million. That number will likely be beaten by Luka Doncic or some other superstar. But according to Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, Nikola Jokic‘s value as a basketball player is far more than any other player in the league.
His next contract gonna be like 500. Man, you supposed to, you supposed to ask for it bro. You supposed to go for it. He supposed to be the first. He is on another level now.
Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce on Nikola Jokic’s value
The former Boston Celtics teammates believe that the Serbian is too valuable for his team to not ask $500 million as his next contract. Time and again it has been proved that the Nuggets gameplan completely revolves around him.
Moreover, they cannot bring in another player to do what he does, which makes him more valuable than the current highest paid players, as those players are replaceable by others with comparable skills. Jokic’s skills and play is at a level that he is a favorite to win his fourth league MVP.
