Thomas DePaola
*Please note all statistics in this piece are as of January 26th, 2021
Through the first 17 games of the 2020-21 NBA season, Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokić is playing basketball in a way that no center in the modern NBA ever has. With per-game averages of 25.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 9.6 assists, Jokić is nearly on pace to become just the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double over the course of a full season. This statistic moves from incredible to flat-out unbelievable when you consider that the other two players to accomplish this feat are point guards, whereas Jokić himself is a center. So what is it exactly that makes him such a unique force on the hardwood?
Let’s start with what tends to be the first thing people notice about Jokić’s extraordinary skill set: his passing ability. The Joker is a maestro when it comes to sharing the rock. He possesses incredible court vision that he uses to easily manipulate the game around him. Always operating at his own pace, he effortlessly creates open looks for his teammates by way of behind-the-backs, skip passes, outlet passes on the fast break, and other ridiculous moves that can even appear to be straight out of another sport.
Jokić, being the unique player that he is, frequently finds himself defying the status quo for big men. In the NBA, a guard typically assumes the duties of handling and distributing the ball to their teammates. In some instances, a forward with a knack for passing gets the job (think Ben Simmons or LeBron James.) It is incredibly rare for a center to be their team’s primary distributor. So rare, in fact, that in the last 50 NBA seasons, a center has never led their team in assists-per-game. Currently, Nikola Jokić is accomplishing this feat, while also ranking third in the entire league in assists-per-game.
Below is a graph containing the highest single-season assists-per-game marks for centers in the last 50 NBA seasons.
Jokić’s 9.6 APG this year is the highest by a center in NBA history. This statistic places him far above the next closest player in the past 50 seasons, that being ... himself, last year. In fact, the entire top 4 consists solely of the last 4 seasons of Nikola Jokić. The closest non-Jokić player, Sam Lacey in 1979-80, averaged 5.7 assists per game. While this is a very impressive mark for a center, it pales in comparison to the passing clinic that the Joker has been putting on for the past few years.
This season is by far the most impressive of the Nuggets big man’s career to date. Aside from his eye-catching stat line, Jokić ranks first among all players in each of these advanced statistical categories: Player Efficiency Rating, Win Shares, WS/48, Value Over Replacement Player, and Box Plus-Minus. He also leads the league in total assists. To put how elite his passing this season has been into perspective, the 4.2 assist-per-game gap between Jokić (9.6) and the center with the second-highest mark, Miami’s Bam Adebayo (5.4), is the same size as the gap between Adebayo and Cleveland’s JaVale McGee (1.2), who ranks 28th among qualified centers in the league.
Jokić is also second among all players this year in assist percentage. Assist percentage is an estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while he was on the floor. This year, Jokic’s assist percentage of 45.7% would put him in the top 60 of single-season assist percentages in NBA history, making him the only center to be on this list.
(via statmuse)
Above is a graph containing the highest single-season assist percentages for a center in NBA history. Again, the list is dominated by Jokić, who holds the five highest percentages on the list. At this point, you’re probably getting the idea.
Nikola Jokić, at 26 years old, is already the greatest passing big man of all time.
It is his passing ability that allows him to dominate the game in the unique way that he does. Because he is able to rack up assists with his court vision, he is also able to record triple-doubles at a historic rate. With 46 thus far in his career, he is already 9th all-time, and second among centers. The center in first place, you may ask? The late, great Wilt Chamberlain, who recorded 78 triple-doubles over his storied career. Pretty impressive right? Let’s compare the two within this context:
Chamberlain recorded his 46th triple-double at 31 years old, in the 670th game of his career. Jokić, on the other hand, collected triple-double number 46 at just 25 years old, in the 393rd game of his career. He is far ahead of the pace which Chamberlain set, and will almost certainly pass the great big man on the all-time list in the coming years.
It is clear that we are watching an incredible basketball career unfold before our very eyes. Both fans and NBA peers alike are beginning to realize the real level of greatness that Nikola Jokić is on. Following a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 19th, a game in which Jokic recorded 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists, Nuggets reserve Monte Morris relayed a recent conversation he had with Jokic to reporters.
“Like I told him two [or] three games ago… ‘Everybody talking about the Durants and LeBrons, [the] Giannises. We’re playing with a Hall of Famer right here.'”
His teammates see him as a player who is in the upper echelon of NBA talent, and rightfully so. There are few players who can control the pace of a game and dominate the opponent the way that Jokić can. In his young career, he has already made 2 All-Star teams and 2 All-NBA teams. Last year, he helped lead Denver in two playoff series comebacks from down 1-3 en route to a Western Conference Finals appearance. His skills as a player and leader are legitimate. If his career continues on the trajectory it is currently on, the sky is the limit for Nikola Jokić.
Let's enjoy this all-timer while we can.
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