Nikola Jokic has some really bold predictions about the NBA and basketball in general after the Denver Nuggets win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.
Jokic predicted that low-post basketball could completely disappear from the NBA within the next 5 to 10 years.
Nikola Jokic Thinks A Massive Shift Is Upon The NBA
Jokic, a three-time NBA MVP and considered as one of, if not the greatest center in league history, explained that traditional size advantages in the low post no longer function the way they used to because modern defenses swarm the paint with multiple defenders and schemes.
“To be honest, in today’s NBA, I don’t think there is much of a size advantage,” Jokic said. “In the low post, defenders are allowed to do much more. They can push, grab, and be more physical than they can when defending on the perimeter.”
Reflecting on his time in the league, Jokic noted that the style of NBA basketball has already transformed dramatically multiple times.
He pointed to increasingly physical, shifting team defenses that render traditional back-to-the-basket post-ups far less efficient or viable.
“I think that’s why players are no longer willing to play in the low post as much,” he said. “You get fouled, but it’s not called. You keep getting tired after every possession. That’s why I think the low post is becoming an endangered part of the game. In probably five to ten years, it might not even be there anymore.”
“We’ve had small-ball lineups, then bigger lineups, and now big men are expected to do everything. Before that, you had traditional power forwards and centers playing together.”
“Basketball has changed four times in the last ten or twelve years and I think it will change again in the next five years.”
Jokic is one of the last true low-post anchors in the modern NBA. He works well as a low-post offensive hub since he can be a lethal scorer and an excellent playmaker for the Nuggets.
Against the Raptors, Jokic had 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, marking his 201st regular-season triple-double. He reached his landmark 200th career triple-double just days prior against the New Orleans Pelicans.
He is the second player in NBA history to cross the 200 triple-double threshold, trailing only his former teammate and now-retired Russell Westbrook.
Nikola Jokic Opens Up About His Shooting Struggles This Season
Nikola Jokic has not been on his elite self recently for the Denver Nuggets. This is rooted to his atrocious shooting percentages of 47.2% from the field and 22.6% from the 3-point line, which are uncharacteristic numbers for him.
Jokic opened up about his early-season struggles, which have caused the Nuggets some trouble to start the new season.
“To be honest, I don’t know why, but when I’m shooting and I’m practicing, I’m kind of making it, but I’m not making it in the game,” Jokic said before expressing an optimistic view. “But I think the struggle, it’s a privilege. It pushes you to get better. Push you to think, ‘What’s the problem?’ So It’s definitely a privilege.”
Even Nuggets head coach David Adelman is not worried about Jokic’s shooting woes.
“Some of the shots I think we’re so accustomed to seeing he never misses … they’re coming,” Adelman said. “This is a six-game sample size of one of the most efficient offensive basketball players that’s ever lived. I’ll die on that sword.”
Jokic may not be making shots as of now, but he remains one of the best players in the league.
Nikola Jokic Makes Massive Prediction About NBA’s Future