As he played with LeBron James at the Lakers and now plays with Nikola Jokic at the Nuggets, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is in a good position to compare the two MVPs. And he doesn’t see much difference…
“I feel like the only difference is that LeBron can jump a little bit higher than Jokic. That’s really the only difference I see.” explains KCP. “I love playing with Jokic. He is someone who likes to make passes and a dominant inside low post. He does what he has to do and he kicks everyone off. »
And like half of the games in these playoffs, he finished in a triple-double with 34 points at 12/17 shooting, 21 rebounds and 14 assists. Aggressive from the outset, he already had 8 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists at the end of the first quarter, to launch his team perfectly.
For LeBron James, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets have ” struck “ first, surprising the Lakers too soft at the start of the game, surprised by the offensive rebounds and the fast game developed by the Colorado squad.
Mike Malone: ’An aggressive Nikola Jokic is an effective Nikola Jokic’
“An aggressive Nikola Jokic is an efficient Nikola Jokic” appreciated Mike Malone, while his counterpart in Los Angeles, Darvin Ham, relativized the athletic limits of the double MVP of Denver.
“He is one of the best physically prepared players in our league”, explained the coach. “He has a funny way of running, with a little rebound, but this kid is in good shape. If you look at him from both sides of the pitch, he carries a huge load but he takes it on. The work he puts in, the way he cares about his teammates, the way he tries to improve them, the selflessness he shows in his game and his personality are all elements that make him a great boy… Even if we see that he really wants to win”.
As for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s statement, Nikola Jokic has fun finding it first “offensive” before specifying that it is “always cool to be compared to one of the greatest players in history” even if the similarities do not seem to him visibly obvious. “Maybe we have a similar overall game, if that makes any sense, but we weigh on the game in a different way, even though he’s obviously a very good player. »
| 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.
