We’re never going to get to see it, but after watching Meyers Leonard/Zach Collins pathetically try to start something with Nikola Jokic, I couldn’t help but wonder: what would happen if Jokic was finally pushed over the edge, wound up, and punched somebody? The repercussions would be serious, but that’s not what I’m caring about right now. I’m more thinking about what would happen to the player on the receiving end of his fist.
The good news for the punch-ee is that the damage would be limited by the fact that you can only die once. Once you’re dead, no more damage can be inflicted on you, at least other than cosmetically. Presumably Jokic’s first hit would be enough to do the job and then some (the most dangerous dudes are the ones who don’t look particularly muscular), but a majority of the power behind it would be wasted on a corpse.
As I said, though, we’re never going to get to see this in action. Jokic knows better than to be swinging his fists of fury all willy-nilly. He knows that the Nuggets are better off with him running the point and being an MVP-ish candidate rather than doing 6 years (sentence reduced from 12 due to his celebrity status) at a Colorado penitentiary for manslaughter. So Leonard can act as hard as he wants without repercussion, because all Jokic can do is get in his face a little bit and make vague threats/disparaging comments toward his female family members without anyone knowing.
Leonard is right to be a little feisty: Jokic dominated him/his homie Collins/his entire team AGAIN, and is now facing near-certain elimation. The Nuggets are one win away from a WCF Conference Finals appearance with Jokic as the unquestionable best player on the team. He might even be the best player in the whole playoffs right now, aside from Kawhi Leonard. It’s close, but when was the last time Leonard (the good one, not the baby one) had a triple-double? Or set a franchise playoff record for rebounds in a game?