Nikola Jokic is a generational player. Being the 41st overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, he has certainly surpassed all expectations that fans had of him heading into the league.
Sure, Jokic is a sensational player, but he may never have blossomed into the superstar he is today without the guidance of head coach Michael Malone. After winning the 2023 NBA Championship, Malone told ESPN that building around Nikola Jokic was the best decision he ever made.
“I’m talking to myself,” Malone said. “This kid was All-Rookie as a center, and here I am bringing him off the bench and playing him as a 4 and a 5. And I said, ‘Screw everything.’ Nikola’s a center. He’s our center. And the next game, I started him at center. From that point in time, our offense, our team, our winning, everything just went straight up.”
Malone then decided to make Jokic the focal point for the Denver Nuggets. It was certainly a bold decision to back a second-round pick.
“I made a decision that he would become the focal point of everything we do, every decision we make, every player we bring in has to be somebody that can play with and complement Nikola,” he added.
Well, Malone’s gamble paid off, and now he believes it was the best decision he ever made.
“Now, knowing what this means,” Malone continued. “It was just a really truly defining moment in this franchise’s history because I think everything at that point in time changed and changed for the better. … It was the best decision I ever made.”
During his rookie year, Jokic started just 55 games out of the 80 games he played. He averaged 10.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 2.4 APG during the 2015-16 season.
Even during his sophomore year, Jokic started 59 games out of 79. But he drastically improved as he averaged 16.7 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 4.9 APG. From that point on, the Joker never really looked back and recently led the Nuggets to their first championship in franchise history.
Michael Malone Says No One Believed That Jokic Would Become The Star That He Is Today When He Was Drafted
Nikola Jokic averaged 30.2 PPG, 14.0 RPG, and 7.2 APG over five games during the 2023 NBA Finals. His numbers were more than enough to bag the Finals MVP award as well.
Michael Malone may have realized Jokic’s value along the way, but even he never expected the Joker to become the player that he is today. Malone talked about it when the Nuggets advanced to the NBA Finals after sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
“That first Summer League in Vegas, 300 pounds, out of shape, ‘Hey, he’s a nice player,'” Malone said. “No one, and if anybody tells you different, they’re full of s**t. No one could have seen that he’d be a two-time MVP passing Wilt Chamberlain, it seems like, every other night.”
“That speaks to his dedication to his craft, getting in great shape, and understanding for him to fulfill his potential, he had to work harder. And he’s done that.”
Malone has always been in Jokic’s corner. After all, he has seen Jokic go from a second-round draft pick to becoming the best player in the NBA right now.
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