In any case, he looks happy. – Jack Dempsey / AP / SIPA
Awards season has arrived in the NBA, along with the play-offs. And the one that tradition designates as the most beautiful is for Nikola Jokic: the pivot of the Denver Nuggets, 3rd in the West, was named best player of the regular season. The statistics speak for the Serbian: 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists on average.
Constantly progressing since his arrival in the NBA, Jokic is above all an ultra-modern player, able to shine in all areas of the game. A formidable finisher, endowed with a sharp sense of collective and solid defender, the “Joker” embodies this new profile very popular in basketball, like new stars like Joël Embiid or Luka Doncic. The Serbian was also elected ahead of the Cameroonian from Philadelphia and Stephen Curry (Golden State).
41st in the Draft
Symbol of the change of morals on the other side of the Atlantic, Jokic is only the third consecrated European (after the Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo, distinguished for the last two years, and the German Dirk Nowitzki in 2007). Jokic, selected 41st by Denver in 2014, also became the lowest drafted player in history to receive this award. He is also the first MVP in franchise history.
Often mocked for his atypical physique (2.11 m, 128 kg), Jokic is the “reincarnation of Larry Bird” according to Gregg Popovich, the San Antonio coach. The Serbian does not yet have the record of the triple NBA champion with Boston. After a conference final last year, can he lead the Nuggets higher?