- Michael Malone and Nikola Jokic joined the Nuggets in 2015
- Malone could see that Jokic was skilled but didn’t think he was going to be anything special after their first Summer League together
- It was only after a game against Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs in his rookie season that Malone realized Jokic could become a special player
Nikola Jokic is now widely recognized as the best player in the NBA after an utterly dominant postseason run which culminated with him winning his first championship. No one could have seen this coming when Jokic entered the league in 2015 and Denver Nuggets head Michael Malone certainly didn’t either.
During a recent appearance on the Lowe Post, Malone was asked when he first realized Jokic could be special and he pointed to a game against Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs.
“My first Summer League was his first Summer League,” Malone said. “And not once during Summer League did I say we have something special… Coming out of Summer League, he was out of shape, overweight and you could tell he was skilled, great guy, loved his personality.
“But there was a game his rookie season against San Antonio in San Antonio with Tim Duncan and Nikola’s line was something like 26 points, 13 rebounds, eight or nine assists,” Malone continued. “And I’m like, he just did it against one of the best players to ever play the game. On the road as a young kid and he impacted the game across the board.
“But what really stood out to me during that rookie season is unselfishness and his IQ and his ability to make everyone around him better… That game in that year one as a rookie against San Antonio and Tim Duncan, it was really kind of for me when the light bulb went off.”
(starts at 35:42 mark):
Jokic had a very good game against Duncan in their first and only meeting in San Antonio, but the stat line wasn’t as great as what Malone stated here.
The Serbian had 23 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks in that contest, which was still quite impressive. It was really the first great game of his rookie season and what he saw that night made Malone realize he might just have someone who could be really special someday.
Nikola Jokic Spoke About Playing Against Tim Duncan
Jokic has a lot of respect for Duncan, who is one of the players he modeled his game after. Incidentally, the Serbian’s first season in the league was Duncan’s last and while Jokic played well in their first meeting, the veteran showed he still had something left in the tank in their final one.
Duncan finished that game with a season-high 21 points to go with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block. Jokic seemed to refer to that game once, stating that Duncan gave him the easiest 20 points in his life.
Jokic also stated last year that he wanted to be the Tim Duncan for the Nuggets and by winning the championship in 2023, he has taken one big step toward becoming a Duncan-like figure in Denver.
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