Nikola Jokic established himself as one of the greatest big men of all time after a stunning postseason run that culminated with him winning his first NBA title.
Jokic was named Finals MVP as well as he averaged 30.2 PPG, 14.0 RPG, 7.2 APG, 0.8 SPG, and 1.4 BPG to lead the Denver Nuggets to their first-ever championship. There had been a lot of talk about where Jokic would rank among the great centers if he won this title and teammate Michael Porter Jr. believes he is the best big ever.
“This was a historic run,” Porter said. “I don’t know how you could say he’s not the best big man ever really. He’s one of the all-time great basketball players, I don’t care what anyone says. I think he’s one of the all-time best players to ever play this game so to be on his team, he makes it easy for the rest of us.”
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This truly has been a historic run for the Joker who finished the 2023 postseason with averages of 30.0 PPG, 13.5 RPG, 9.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, and 1.0 BPG. He ended up leading the playoffs in points, rebounds, and assists, something that had never been done in the history of the game.
Is he the best big man ever, though? He probably needs to win a few more championships to be viewed as that. When you think of the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Shaquille O’Neal, Wilt Chamberlain, and Hakeem Olajuwon, they all had multiple iconic playoff runs and Jokic needs that as well.
Aaron Gordon Thinks Nikola Jokic Is Redefining The Center Position
While one can sit and argue whether Jokic is the best big man ever, what isn’t up for debate is that he is the greatest passing big man the game has ever seen. Chamberlain perhaps held that title, but Jokic has wrestled it away from him now.
He is just playing the position in a way that no one has ever before and teammate Aaron Gordon believes the Serbian is redefining it, as Magic Johnson did with the point guard position. Jokic has just been utterly dominant from all over the court, whether it be in the post, or from beyond the arc, as he shot 46.1% from three in these playoffs.
Former NBA player Jay Williams stated that Jokic will be seen as the greatest center once he’s done playing and while that’s a tall task, it might not be impossible, which speaks to just how great the Serb is.
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