Nikola Jokic averaged 30.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists in the playoffs as he led the Denver Nuggets to the franchise’s first-ever championship this year.
This type of dominance from a center hasn’t been seen in the playoffs since Shaquille O’Neal. And Gilbert Arenas happens to think that what Jokic has done is even more dominant than what Shaq did during his run with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I would still have to go with Joker because when you’re talking about the whole package, he’s bringing 60 to 70 points from himself,” Arenas said. He was then asked if he is dominating as Shaquille O’Neal did and he said, “The problem with Shaq is when he can’t do that no more, what does he have?
“With Joker, the worst-case scenario, he can just be the point guard… Shaq is 30 and 15? Ok, he’s (Jokic) going to give you 30 and 15 with 10 assists. The numbers and the numbers.”
For comparison, in the 2000 and 2001 playoffs, Shaquille O’Neal averaged 30.5 points and 15.4 rebounds but only averaged 3.3 assists. His dominance was still unmatched, but he played in a different way than Jokic does. The difference in assists is startling, although it should be noted that Shaq was a much more dominant defensive presence than Jokic has shown he can be.
Nikola Jokic Has A Long Way To Go To Be Compared To Shaquille O’Neal
While the argument Arenas has made is a solid one, there is more to it than that. Shaquille O’Neal averaged those numbers in the playoffs for three seasons in a row, winning a three-peat and three Finals MVPs. Nikola Jokic would have to repeat this performance three seasons in a row to be able to earn comparisons to Shaq in the grand scheme of things.
What he is doing is incredibly impressive for a big man, though, that goes without saying. The NBA had moved away from dominant big men for a while after the game became more guard-oriented, but modern big men are changing that again. Nikola Jokic is at the forefront, but Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo are doing similarly incredible things with their size.
Nikola Jokic is a bonafide legend for what he has achieved in Denver already, but he is only 28 still. Having just entered his prime, no one would bet against him to win a few more championships. If he does do that, then this debate will get even more interesting than it already is.
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