Over the past few years, the Los Angeles Lakers have had their run-ins with the Denver Nuggets. Notably, in the 2023 Western Conference Finals and the first round of the postseason in 2024, L.A. was eliminated by the Nuggets due in part to being unable to stop Nikola Jokic.
Even with a star defensive center Anthony Davis, the Lakers have experienced issues trying to contain Jokic due to his physicality. The Serbian center overpowers any matchup and since being established as Denver’s No. 1 option, opposing teams have yet to find any answer to shut him down offensively.
There has never been a big man like Jokic who can truly do it all. In only nine seasons in the NBA, the 29-year-old is already third all-time in triple-doubles, recently surpassing Lakers legend Magic Johnson, via NBA:
Congrats to Nikola Jokić of the @nuggets for moving to 3rd on the all-time TRIPLE-DOUBLES list! pic.twitter.com/2iR8f4GxM6
— NBA (@NBA) December 6, 2024
Similarly, Johnson was a trendsetter in his position as a point guard. Prior to being drafted, tall and flashy ball-handlers were unheard of and Johnson changed the game with his play.
In 13 seasons, the former Michigan State Spartan put the Lakers on the map and became a foundational piece behind the ‘Showtime’ era. With Oscar Robertson and Johnson occupying the top spots with the most triple-doubles, it felt unbreakable.
However, this new era in basketball has ushered in new otherworldly talent. For Jokic, as he inches towards Robertson and now current teammate Russell Westbrook for the top spot, it truly feels inevitable.
As mentioned, there is nothing that the Nuggets star cannot do as a player and triple-doubles come with ease. But to rack these stats up, players need to have tremendous IQ and Jokic is certainly in that upper echelon with Johnson in terms of the best passers ever.
Anthony Davis: Team USA focused on limiting Nikola Jokic’s passing in semifinal vs. Serbia
Since winning three MVPs, there have been conversations surrounding how to truly contain Nikola Jokic. Trying to prevent him from scoring, passing and involving him in actions on the defensive end is easier said than done.
In high-stakes games that becomes prevalent if a specific team hopes to defeat Jokic and company. Specifically, this past summer during the Paris Olympics when Team USA squared off with Serbia in the semifinals.
Ultimately, Anthony Davis pointed out that they wanted to limit Jokic’s playmaking and it paid off in eventually winning a Gold Medal.
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