Veteran head coach Michael Malone has never shied away from complimenting the best player in the world. It just so happens that, and to Malone’s good fortune, his team, the Denver Nuggets, house superstar Nikola Jokić, the best player in the world. Jokić is unmatched at his position and one of the top centers in NBA history, and his career isn’t even over. Jokić did not have a good game against the Los Angeles Lakers over the weekend. However, on Monday, the Serbian big man did bounce back in dominating fashion against the Indiana Pacers. Jokić’s performance had many in awe, including his coach.
Nuggets’ Michael Malone Heaps Praise On His Superstar
Michael Malone Isn’t Shy About Showing Love to Denver Nuggets Superstar Nikola Jokić
If you are oblivious to Jokić’s game and NBA career, you would look at him like the kid who never got picked for pickup basketball at the park. As Stephen A. Smith coined, ‘Jokić couldn’t jump up on a sidewalk curb.’ While I’m sure Jokić could make that small upward motion if he needed to, you don’t see much of it on the court. Jokić has no lift to his game, yet he dominates the boards and is virtually unstoppable under the basket. As his coach gushes, Jokić is an amazing player—a complete basketball player, in fact. Following the Nuggets 125-116 win over the Pacers last night, Malone wasted no words expressing his amazement at Jokić’s night, accumulating 19 assists and overall talent.
“If you’re a player that has no weakness, there is not one chink in that armor. The guy is just an amazing, a complete basketball player. And I think the most remarkable thing is not just the 19 assists, but the satisfaction and joy that Nikola gets from making his teammates better. He’d be happy getting 19 assists, no points, and us winning than any other superstar that I’ve ever come across. And that speaks to who he is….But he’s just an incredible player. And what a luxury to have when you can just play through him down the stretch of a close game and you know something good is going to happen each and every time.”
Those are glowing words from one championship coach to a championship player—a future legend if not one already. Jokić’s stat line against Indiana was outstanding, posting 18 points, 19 assists, and nine rebounds. The assists were a career-high, tying the second-most assists by a center in league history.
Surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
In just his tenth season, Jokić is remarkably hot on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s trail. Kareem holds the assist record for centers (5,660), and Jokić is not far behind (5,207). With 453 more dimes to go, Jokić will pass Kareem sometime during the 2025-26 campaign. It will be an incredible feat once the task is complete and will only add to Jokić’s Hall of Fame resume. Given Kareem’s attendance when LeBron James passed him for the leader in points scored all time, it’s possible he could be there for Jokic’s milestone as well. What an incredible honor that would be.
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