Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is arguably the best player in the NBA, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Miami Heat raved about the two-time MVP during their Finals media day.
Heat veteran Kevin Love, who played with LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014-15 to 2017-18, said Jokic will go down as one of the greatest big men in NBA history.
“Yeah, I mean, he’s going to go down as one of the greatest big men to ever play the game,” Love said. “He just continues to impress and just beyond the statistical output that he has, the impact he has on the game, how he does it, how he operates, what we’ve seen, in a lot of ways is unprecedented. He’s not a guy you’re going to stop. You just have to hope to stand him down, continue to make things really tough for him.
“He’s extremely smart, manipulates the game. I mean that in a basketball IQ sense. Can get anything done how he wants to do it, where he wants to go. That’s going to be a full team effort to just slow down what he’s capable of doing, but again, easier said than done.”
NBA NEWS & FINALS COVERAGE: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets & Miami Heat Updates
Jokic is averaging 29.9 points, 13.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists in the 2023 playoffs. For those keeping score at home, the All-Star is averaging a triple-double on the NBA’s biggest stage.
“He’s very unique,” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He doesn’t really have any noticeable weaknesses in terms of his size, his skill set. He’s one of one in the myriad of ways that he can impact the game and impact winning.”
NBA NEWS & FINALS COVERAGE: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets & Miami Heat Updates
Heat forward Bam Adebayo will likely guard Jokic in the Finals. Adebayo will do his best to force Jokic into taking “tough shots.”
“Make him take tough shots, force him into tough shots, and live with the result,” Adebayo said. “That’s the biggest thing for me. I feel like this is one of those series where he becomes very dangerous when you let his teammates get involved, and he can make those incredible passes and end up with 12 assists.”
Want the latest in NBA analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click Here. Follow NBA Analysis Network on Twitter and Facebook.
