“To be honest, I don’t hold anything back. I don’t remember”. That’s what Nikola Jokic answered yesterday, when asked what he remembers from the Nuggets’ loss in the Conference Finals to the Lakers in 2020, in the “bubble” of Orlando.
The message has the merit of being clear, as his reunion with the Californian franchise approaches, the Serbian pivot has drawn a line under the frustration of three years ago and is preparing to face a whole new team.
Although there are still a few players from that era, obviously starting with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the squad has changed a lot and Denver has not faced Los Angeles in the regular season since early January, when Russell Westbrook and others were still part of the “Purple & Gold” team.
“We didn’t play the Lakers in this configuration. So it’s really going to be a new team for us, where everything is probably going to be new, different. They’re playing amazing in these playoffs. Since the trade deadline, they’ve been playing really well.”, he added.
A new story
After having tamed Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns in the first round then released the Suns and Deandre Ayton by posting an average triple-double, Nikola Jokic will therefore attack Anthony Davis, “a rear in a 2m10 body”, underlined his teammate Aaron Gordon. The duel promises to be electric even if for the “Joker”, the series will not be limited to this opposition. For him, the Nuggets are in any case much better armed than three years ago.
“We are more experienced. We’ve been there before. We are maybe a little more, not focused, but we are playing in different environments than the bubble. So I think we are more experienced and playing together a bit more.”
Alongside Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr, who were already with him in 2020, Nikola Jokic can now count on seasoned lieutenants like Aaron Gordon, Bruce Brown, veteran Jeff Green but also Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was with the Lakers. in 2020 and which was the X factor of Game 6 won in Phoenix.
| 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.
