(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
The Denver Nuggets had a tough road to their first NBA championship.
They were the best team in the Western Conference in the regular season and then exceeded all expectations in the playoffs, and a lot of that had to do with Nikola Jokic’s stellar play.
That’s why tennis superstar Novak Djokovic took some time in a recent interview to praise his compatriot.
He admitted that even though he’s not much of a basketball expert, it’s a big deal to have a Serbian player being considered the best player in the world right now:
“Nikola Jokic is the best basketball player in the world at the moment. Incredible guy. Everyone is so amazed with his skills, what he does on a basketball court. I’m not a basketball expert, so I can’t really talk about his game so much, but I’m a huge fan,” Djokovic said. “Obviously a Serbian basketball player coming from Serbia, dominating the NBA, is something that doesn’t happen very often. I think it never happened in the history of our basketball in Serbia, that we had best basketball player in the NBA. That’s amazing. We all love him, support him.”
Jokic earned that distinction after what he accomplished in the playoffs.
NBA fans, analysts, and even some of his colleagues seemed reluctant to call him the best player, and the voters didn’t elect him as the league’s MVP despite ranking No. 1 in most advanced — and some traditional — stats.
But Jokic’s superiority was so blatantly obvious, so evident, that even his biggest detractors had no choice but to tip their hats off to him.
Jokic was almost the first center to average a triple-double, and he’s become the biggest and most singular offensive triple-threat in the league.
NBA scouts will leave no stone unturned trying to find the next Jokic, and he’s setting the blueprint for what modern big men should look like.
In the meantime, however, the Serbians can be quite proud of having the most unique player in the league, and while some could still have doubts about him being the undisputed No. 1 guy, there’s simply no way around it right now.
The post Novak Djokovic Has Big Praise For Nikola Jokic appeared first on The Cold Wire.