I debated for a long time on whether to do Nikola Jokic highlights this year. He’s not a secret anymore. Every NBA fan knows about him, from diehard to casual. He’s the adopted son of every stats nerd and of every Serbian. He doesn’t really have a place on this channel any longer.
But then I looked at his stats and he only averaged like 17 a game last year which isn’t even that many and I was like “well why the heck not I do a lot of players who average that much”. So there. The Jokic highlights will continue. And I promise this isn’t going to be a “Giannis Antetokounmpo 2016-17” situation where I do one video and then realize that he’s way, way too good for me to be wasting time with him. I’m in this for the whole year at least.
Jokic has helped my case by averaging a blistering 3.5 points per game over the first two. That’s, like, Joel Anthony-esque. The 0-9-7 (0 points in 30 minutes) statline he put up against the Kings is all the evidence I need that he has not yet graduated from my channel.
He really stepped it up tonight except for the whole “costly turnovers late in the game” thing. 29 points is consistent with what we expect based on his performances last season, and it’s a relief to see that he isn’t permanently broken when it comes to actually putting balls in holes. The Nuggets still lost, though. Weren’t they supposed to be good? Paul Millsap is ruining everything.