A mix of Dirk Nowitzki and Marc Gasol. This is what Ognjen Stojakovic, assistant coach of the Nuggets, saw in Nikola Jokic when he was 19 years old. A time when his work ethic, his lifestyle or his athletic limits still raised questions. But after several years of joint work in Colorado, the assistant realized that his potential went even beyond that.
” He’s like Steph Curry, one of those who changed basketball. Now you have an interior that can do it all. It is the dream of all coaches, to have a 2m11 player capable of playing in all positions “, enthuses OgnjenStojakovic in a long article by Fox Sports about the evolution of pivot.
To make him a two-time MVP and likely NBA champion shortly, the Nuggets had to convince him to review his work ethic. ” We always laugh about it, because during the first three years, we argued a lot because he did not understand why he had to work hard “, remembers the assistant who had to do with the language barrier at the beginning of the Serbian.
Not a hard worker the 41st pick of the 2014 Draft? No big deal, as long as the potential is there…” Nikola is just a different player. From the first day, what jumped out at me was his technical level, his handling of the ball, his way of passing it, his touch “, enumerates Mike Malone.
Nikola Jokic must “compose his own music”
And his in-game IQ is so high that his weaknesses take a back seat. The sponge Jokic is gradually developing his mid-range and 3-point shooting range. Nikola Jokic changes the trajectory of his throw, to have to jump less, while perfecting his support game. His offensive qualities become more complete.
To the point of becoming a player as atypical as the leader of the Warriors before him. ” You learn notes, scales, you learn some songs and you start composing your own music. That’s what he’s doing now. He composes his own music », picture Ognjen Stojakovic.
Before making him the composer he is now, he also had to be pushed to review his way of doing things in terms of lifestyle. Because when landing in Colorado, Felipe Eichenberger, the team’s physical trainer, remembers a player who arrived ” a little heavier than we would have liked. The GM (Tim Connelly) wondered what was going on. That had to change. »
” I said to Nikola: ‘If you are lighter, you will have more endurance. Your knee won’t hurt you anymore. Not like an injury, but your knee is sore, your ankle is sore, your back is sore.’ I was like, ‘Stay with me for a little while. Then we’ll see how you feel “, remembers the specialist.
Six meals a day
The turning point therefore came in 2019, when the Nuggets were eliminated by the Blazers in the conference semifinals. A Game 7 during which he had missed seven of his last ten shooting attempts, in the fourth quarter, due to fatigue. The change started in stride, on his plate.
” We created a routine. Her routine has been the same for more than three years. He does everything right. He eats his eggs first, then his oatmeal. Then he goes to treatment, then he goes to the weight room, then he goes to shoot in the morning and finally he goes to train. We feed him every three hours, in small quantities, six meals a day. “, details Eichenberger.
Work pays. The pivot is thinning, it can be seen visually, even if he does not reach the physical levels of a LeBron James or a Giannis Antetokounmpo to name a few. ” I wish he was all muscle. But it’s not his body. It’s genetics, isn’t it? You see his family and they have a strong build. He has a strong build “Summarizes the physical trainer.
His large carcass does not prevent him from having developed one of the silkiest games in the entire league. Already brilliant in all sectors, Nikola Jokic may not even have finished developing. ” Basketball players do not reach their peak until 29 – 31 years old. He has 28 “Warns Felipe Eichenberger to finish.
| Nikola Jokic | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2015-16 | DEN | 80 | 22 | 51.2 | 33.3 | 81.1 | 2.3 | 4.7 | 7.0 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 10.0 |
| 2016-17 | DEN | 73 | 28 | 57.8 | 32.4 | 82.5 | 2.9 | 6.9 | 9.8 | 4.9 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 16.7 |
| 2017-18 | DEN | 75 | 33 | 49.9 | 39.6 | 85.0 | 2.6 | 8.1 | 10.7 | 6.1 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 18.5 |
| 2018-19 | DEN | 80 | 31 | 51.1 | 30.7 | 82.1 | 2.9 | 8.0 | 10.8 | 7.3 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 20.1 |
| 2019-20 | DEN | 73 | 32 | 52.8 | 31.4 | 81.7 | 2.3 | 7.5 | 9.7 | 7.0 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 20.0 |
| 2020-21 ★ | DEN | 72 | 35 | 56.6 | 38.8 | 86.8 | 2.9 | 8.0 | 10.8 | 8.3 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 26.4 |
| 2021-22 ★ | DEN | 74 | 34 | 58.3 | 33.7 | 81.0 | 2.8 | 11.0 | 13.8 | 7.9 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 27.1 |
| 2022-23 | DEN | 69 | 34 | 63.2 | 38.3 | 82.2 | 2.4 | 9.4 | 11.8 | 9.8 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 24.5 |
| Total | 596 | 31 | 55.3 | 34.8 | 82.9 | 2.6 | 7.9 | 10.5 | 6.6 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 20.2 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
