Over the past few years, Nikola Jokic has firmly cemented his place as an all-time great with his production and success. This has led to immense praise from the NBA community, including a recent moment when LeBron James gave the Joker high praise.
Over the past two decades, there have been many good players, but LeBron James stands out the most. It is impressive that players reach a peak comparable to his, which makes Nikola Jokic’s success even more remarkable.
He is one of the few players who can hold a candle to James’ peak thanks to his unbelievable production for the Denver Nuggets. He has done everything he can to help the Nuggets succeed, leading to their title in 2023.
Jokic has not dropped off since, which has led James to appreciate his game more. Considering he is one of James’ rivals over the past few seasons in the Western Conference, Jokic has proven himself against the best.
James believes Jokic is his most complete opponent
Considering James has played against Jokic numerous times over the past decade, he has seen up close what makes the three-time MVP great. They have faced each other three times in postseason series, with the Nuggets winning two of them.
Jokic was arguably the best player in those three series, which included both James and Anthony Davis. That is an impressive achievement because he still finds ways to dominate, even when playing against some of the best players in the league.
With that kind of experience of playing against Jokic, James knows he has nothing but praise for the Nuggets stalwart. Jokic’s numbers blow people away, and even James is impressed with how he keeps dominating. That is most evident with his historic production and efficiency on offense, as he continues to lead the Nuggets to wins.
“This Joker guy, in the last five or six games, he’s shooting like 77% from the field. This is not like one of those guys who were all dunks or all layups. This is everything, at all three levels,” James said on his Mind The Game podcast with Steve Nash.
“There has not been a more dominant, complete player that I’ve played against in the sense of all the attributes you mentioned. From the passing to the shooting to the rebounding to the attention. I mean, there’s nothing he cannot do on the offensive end, nothing at all.”
Jokic still has the potential to be even better
Despite his dominance over the past few years, Jokic is only 30, which means he still has a lot of years left in the tank. Considering his game does not require elite athleticism, he could be the league’s best player for the foreseeable future.
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Of course, he and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are embroiled in a heated debate over who is the league’s best player. However, Jokic is still impressing everyone with his numbers, especially with his efficiency.
With James’ comments, people may find it easier to appreciate Jokic even more, making the decision in the debate less difficult. As the years go by, it looks like Jokic will age better than most players due to his play style. If he can continue succeeding, he might be in the conversation about being a top-three center ever.