Nikola Jokic is one of the best big men in the NBA right now and one of the reasons to demonstrate that centers still matter in the game. The Denver Nuggets star has improved his level season after season, becoming not only one of the best in his position but one of the best players in the league right now.
He’s now one of the leaders for the 2021 NBA MVP award and one of the most beloved players in the league. He’s not the most famous or the most outspoken but the Joker has shown his quality both on and off the court for the past couple of seasons. Sometimes people feel he’s underappreciated and Darko Milicic, his fellow countryman, is one of those.
During a recent interview, the former No. 2 overall pick opened up about Jokic and his quality, making it clear that he’s not a superstar or act like one. Milicic said that Jokic is showing the fans and players how basketball should be played.
“He is a totally different player than anyone in the NBA, he showed all those ambitious stars, that people watch them as aliens, which they’re not. He never talks back, for the hard work he invests, and it is very important to me that he is still so modest, that he’s like “money is not a priority.” He still enjoys it. He is definitely different from other players,” Milicic told 24sedam.
“We must be aware that money is the basis of the NBA’s existence. If Gobert is worth so much money, then our Jokic should sign a contract for $500,000,000. That’s how much better he is than Rudy. Marketing has always been in the first place for them and as much as possible those leagues make show business,” Milicic added.
He also talked about the current state of the game, with teams scoring a high number of points because they only care about offense and don’t pay attention to the defense, a very important part of the game nowadays.
“I feel sick when I see that the game ends with 300 points. So what did they do on that field? Some people hate to go back to the defense, “camp” in the attack and they really don’t care about what happens in the defense. To be honest, I can’t even watch such basketball,” Milicic said.
Darko was expected to become a very big deal in the league when he was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 2003 but his career was never like they expected, with Milicic becoming one of the biggest busts in NBA history. He’s now living a different life in Europe but is still watching the game, always seeing what Jokic is doing with his Nuggets.
Nikola is doing great things on the floor and his team is seen as a big candidate to come out of the West this season. He hasn’t missed his opportunity to make an impact in the league and that has made Jokic the great player he is right now.
