Nikola Jokic has always had an extra sense of where players are on the basketball court. According to his former teammate Bruce Brown, part of the secret involves extensive listening to the players and honing in on the source of their audio waves.
“Early in Brown’s season in Denver, the guard went into a handoff play with Jokic,” wrote The Athletic’s Fred Katz. “Once the MVP received the basketball, both his defender and Brown followed him, which left Brown open. Brown screamed out the proper terminology. With no one on him, Brown then cut to the basket, figuring Jokic could hit him for an easy layup. Instead, Jokic tossed a no-look pass far behind him and out of bounds. Later in the game, Jokic explained why.”
What Brown learned that day is that Jokic doesn’t see the game like everyone else. He looks beyond the visual and taps into his other senses, like hearing, to know where every player is on the court. So, instead of cutting to the rim after calling for the ball, Brown began to stay put, and it led to plenty of
“Don’t cut,” Jokic told Brown. ‘I’m listening to your voice.’ Jokic, like a bat, can tell where people are just by where sound waves originate. From that point on, Brown never cut after yelling for the ball; Jokic hit him with no-look dimes constantly.”
Nikola Jokic is revered for his elite court vision and superior passing skills, which have helped him become a historically great playmaker for the Denver Nuggets. By using sounds and other environmental cues, Jokic can make quick and silent observations to get the ball where it needs to be.
Jokic’s precision and sound decision-making are part of what makes him so effective as a center, and it doesn’t hurt that he can make shots anywhere on the court. With averages of 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game this season, Jokic led his team in almost all statistical categories, including assists, and he’s the sole reason why they finished fourth in the West despite major struggles early on.
Under his lead, the Nuggets finished the regular season as the fourth-best offensive team in the league at 119.9 points per game. They were also second overall in true shooting percentage (59.8%) and first in average field goals made at 45.4 per game.
In many ways, Nikola Jokic is setting a new standard for offensive greatness, and we may never see anyone match his skills with the ball. Like a bat, Jokic can sense what’s happening on the court in real time, and it’s how he always manages to stay one step ahead of the competition.
Ahead of the first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers, Jokic is going to need to be at his absolute best for them to avoid elimination. At 50-32, the Clippers won eight straight games to end the regular season, and they have the depth, star power, and elite coaching to end the Nuggets’ season.
For Jokic, he must be dominating offensively so that the Nuggets can keep their offense going against one of the best defensive teams in the league. Fortunately, the Joker has a few tricks to give him the edge, and he will do whatever it takes to get his team as far as he can.
