Nikola Jokic was the 41st overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Being a late second-round draft pick, the Joker was never expected to become a perennial All-Star in the biggest basketball league in the world.
However, the Denver Nuggets superstar has overcome all odds and used his unicorn build to enjoy a stellar NBA career. In fact, Joker has a chance at building his case to be considered the greatest center ever to step foot on the hardwood.
Right now, the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , and Shaquille O'Neal hold that title. But it doesn't feel like a huge reach to think that the 29-year-old can surpass these all-time greats.
Bulls star endorses Jokic's case for GOAT center
The
Nuggets center is coming off his third NBA MVP season. He also led Serbia to a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The veteran center keeps adding major accolades to his resume each season.
Considering that Bulls center Nikola Vucevic recently heaped huge praise on the Joker. In fact, the Montenegrin center believes that Jokic has a shot at becoming the greatest center of all time when it's all said and done.
"Surely, when he finishes, he will be among the best players in basketball history, maybe even the best center of all time," Vucevic said via Meridian Sport . "It's just a question of how long he wants to keep playing at this level. The longer he does it, the more he will leave such a deep mark that it will be hard for anyone to surpass him. He is already the best player in the world right now, and when he finishes, he will be among the greatest of all time."
Playing in the NBA is undoubtedly hard, but dominating the league as a late second-round pick is even harder. So far, Jokic has done the latter and continues to impress fans with his unique playing style.
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How does Jokic compare to other all-time greats?
As mentioned earlier, Wilt, Kareem, and Shaq are usually considered the best centers of all time. So, how does his career look in comparison to them?
Jokic has good carrer averages and already won is a one NBA championship and Finals MVP when we combine that with three regular-season MVP's Joker is clearly starting to put his name in the hat. Still there is a long road ahead and hee needs to keep playing at this level in years to come.
He is dominating in today's NBA, but as things stand right now, he doesn't even crack the list of the top five NBA centers of all time, as per Paul Pierce .
"Right now, if he retires today, he's a Top 50 player," Pierce said. "I'll give him that. But I can't because he's not done, and he's in the middle of his prime. I mean, he's moving in the right direction, you know numbers, you can't deny the numbers, you can't deny the MVP trophies, so right now he's one of the Top 50 players of all-time if he retired today."
Pierce believes Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, Bill Russell, and others still have more decorated resumes than Jokic. Kareem and Shaq also have more NBA Championships and Finals MVPs than the Nuggets star.
But does it mean Joker can never get past them? No. As Chris' Mad Dog' Russo claimed, Jokic could finish as the GOAT center when he retires . Mad Dog has him over Shaq even today.
The biggest upside Jokic has is his multi-dimensional game. Despite being a center, he can dribble, dish out laser-sharp passes to his teammates, and score at will. It will be exciting to see how many more rings the Serbian center can add to his resume by the time he hangs up his sneakers.
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