With 22.5 points, 15.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists on average, Nikola Jokic has statistics that would make many players in the league dream for two games. However, we can say it, the Denver pivot missed his two meetings. For what ? Because he shot 18/58, or only 31% success.
The 2023 Finals MVP missed a lot of one-handed shots from two meters from the rim. Too much. “I’ve never seen this before and I don’t think I ever will again.”, Michael Porter Jr. announced after Nikola Jokic's 9/32 shootout against the Clippers. Except that he did it again against the Rockets with an ugly 9/26…
The theory of a single accident is therefore ruled out. So what is going on with the Serb?
“I don’t shoot well every match. Neither does Jokic. Michael Porter Jr. as well,” Jamal Murray list at Denver Post. “Sometimes we don’t defend. So it's not the fault of his missed shots. It's not about that. He had a bad game, or was clumsy, however you sum it up. He had a triple-double against the Clippers and they say he wasn't good. I don't know any players who have a bad game with a triple-double. »
With his CV, he no longer has the right to be missed
To summarize his thoughts, the playmaker adds that Nikola Jokic “does everything he can”except that “not all matches can go his way”.
The 2023 champion has accustomed the Nuggets and the league, with his two MVP trophies and his coronation last June, to such excellence that seeing him miss so many shots is necessarily becoming an anomaly.
“The crown is heavy, that’s obvious. We ask a lot of him every game: scoring, rebounding, passing, being a leader,” recalls his coach Michael Malone. “He always responds. That's what I like about Nikola Jokic. I must find a way to give him some rest, to relieve him of this burden. But knowing him, he won't want that. He doesn't even want to hear about it. »
| Nikola Jokic | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 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 |
| 2023-24 | DEN | 22 | 34 | 53.5 | 30.4 | 77.4 | 3.5 | 9.5 | 13.0 | 9.6 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 28.4 |
| Total | 618 | 31 | 55.2 | 34.6 | 82.6 | 2.7 | 8.0 | 10.6 | 6.8 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 20.5 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
