Dwight Howard battling against Nikola Jokic | 2020 Western Conference Finals

[@TheNextLevelHoops]

Backstory for this video: A couple months ago, I had thought to redo my Dwight and Jokic video because as I looked back at the footage months after i uploaded the video, i realized i missed a couple of plays of Dwight guarding Jokic. But as I was going through the footage, I realized how physical the boxouts were between Dwight and Jokic and decided to put those clips into the video too, instead of just making a new video with a few more defensive possessions for Dwight. Added some other clips too. This probably won't reach 300k views like the previous video, but hopefully a good amount of people see this new video lol. Wanted to make the video better and put into complete perspective how much Dwight and Jokic were going at it. Thank you!

[@noahlandkaioken1192]

I think that i can speak on the behalf of most viewers when i saw that those off the ball battles are so much more exciting and brings them to a whole other level . I would love to see the same on the perimeter with the ball denial , the screen navigation even if it leads to the ball handler passing the ball instead of taking a shot because you have to learn patterns in order to really bother those offensive juggernauts .

[@jayaidsmarstef7340]

I knew the Lakers were gonna lose when they let go of Javale, Dwight, and Caruso. Those 3 were the only ones playing defense at times when AD wasn't on the floor.

[@jthomas4632]

💯🎯💯

[@TruthSerum99-zq9fl]

You don't know basketball Dwight Howard last stint with Lakers 33-49 missed playoffs he was WASHED

[@jayaidsmarstef7340]

@@TruthSerum99-zq9fl dumbass muthafucka. That wasn't Dwight's fault.

[@johansonpozo6179]

They didn’t let go of Caruso until free agency that was in 2022

[@jdavis3259]

I ain’t gon lie Jokic has gotten way better the past 4 years but the Lakers can Use Dwight and Put AD at the 4 they might have a chance.

[@brenttenorio9265]

Dwight aint gonna do anything in 2024 against a much improved joker bro. give it up. We not in 2020 anymore.

[@jonvicmamon2529]

Dwight Howard and bougie cousin is the weakness of jokic but too bad cousins good injured it's gonna be a hell good match up between those two if he didn't get injured

[@ladon1468]

No need, we got Koloko….…. Christian Koloko smh 😂 Hopefully he does SOMETHING! 😅

[@islaeish]

@@brenttenorio9265bruh jokic struggled against 6'9 Naz Reid

[@shimadaverge]

I think the Biggest key is running AD at the 4 because he’s historically been better roaming and being the low man than being the primary 5

[@DanielD-j8l]

Really miss the defence of Lakers in 2020.

[@juantootree4990]

dwight did good, but im actually impressed jokic did decently as well. dwight is defensive hall of famer, and this was right before jokic took his conditioning seriously. there's a documentary somewhere saying after the bubble, jokic ran a lot more and ate more healthy. either way, i enjoyed this battle. not many (not even gobert) challenged jokic on the board as much as dwight did in this video.

[@ImUseless88]

Dwight was well past his prime here so I don’t want to hear ur lame excuses!! Gobert is overrated!

[@ImUseless88]

When you get physical wit Jokic he crumbles I see it vs Embiid every time he plays him. Embiid absolutely embarrasses him every year

[@hussein6173]

Bro this is 2020, like 7 years after Dwight's prime. He could barely move compared to his prime. And was skinnier too.

[@babayaga96792]

Jokic in his best shape isn't even half the shape of Dwight's worse shape.

[@sanojames9518]

@@ImUseless88 how did u saw it with embiid? embiid always absent when playing against denver.

[@tridra5714]

I don't think I have seen a defender cause this much trouble for Jokic and force him to play like this. Makes me wonder if that Howard could do the same to Jokic these last couple seasons..

[@rileylagerstrom9843]

probably could, dwight hasn’t had any injuries or anything, been staying active in the chinese leagues, and he still has his defensive mind + stature, prob lost muscle as most nba players do after they retire (no need to be walking around w 60+ lbs of muscle lmao)

[@danielday3374]

We saw KAT and Naz Reid give him trouble. Dwight even at this age could probably give him a good run.

[@jakewalker271]

@@rileylagerstrom9843hell no watching this makes me realize how much better jokic is now than he was then

[@bachnguyen7411]

The last time Howard shared the court with Jokic, Jokic had 38 points & 18 Rebounds, and that was 2 years ago.

[@goldenbuckets23]

my brother, I think you are exaggerating Dwight's lakers contribution. 1) The Lakers were supposed to beat Denver as the only two superstars at the time on the floor were Lebron and AD. Jokic was an all star that season but wasn't a superstar/mvp. Jokic averaged 19.8 ppg on 51%fg in the reg.season and 21 ppg on 53% against the Lakers. This is far from a shutdown. 2) the Lakers double teamed Jokic most of the game with AD and Dwight guarding him in tandem 3) Dwight was an elite defender but he struggled to guard other skilled bigs. (09' Pau Gasol, 2013' an old Tim Duncan, '14 Lamarcus Aldridge.

[@ybae]

2024 and i still get flashbacks of DG missing 3s

[@Lily-p7b5o]

Howard so strong

[@Luckymag-if4dw]

both legends, Jokic proved he could do it in any era and Dwight actually was getting a bit of unfair treatment from the refs... Jokic still would cook him at times coz he's the greatest but Dwight legit would and did lock him up multiple possessions and Jokic at times got bailed by friendly whistles. Would love to see then in their primes, Jokic would have the better game but I feel like 1on1 he would really struggle to score on Dwight, who is absurdly underrated defensively, forgetting the stats he's the best 1on1 defender I've seen at the Center position against other centers

[@goldenbuckets23]

my brother, I think you are exaggerating Dwight's lakers contribution. 1) The Lakers were supposed to beat Denver as the only two superstars at the time on the floor were Lebron and AD. Jokic was an all star that season but wasn't a superstar/mvp. Jokic averaged 19.8 ppg on 51%fg in the reg.season and 21 ppg on 53% against the Lakers. This is far from a shutdown. 2) the Lakers double teamed Jokic most of the game with AD and Dwight guarding him in tandem 3) Dwight was an elite defender but he struggled to guard other skilled bigs. (09' Pau Gasol, 2013' an old Tim Duncan, '14 Lamarcus Aldridge.

[@jas7374]

3x dpoys in a row and only to do so. Dude is RIGHT. That would be a great prime matchup. Cry more. ​@goldenbuckets23

[@markellcain3417]

AD is better as a roamer them having Dwight at the 5 although caused some issues with spacing was great for defensive purposes (Not to mention AD shot ridiculous in the bubble so spacing wasn’t even really a problem)

[@alucard3374]

Really makes me want to see both of these guys matchup at their peaks. 2023 - Current Jokic DPOY Orlando Magic Dwight

[@brianmohamad8]

One thing that people forget that is included in this video is that battles for boxouts and rebound are really exhausting for centers. That's why having Dwight guarding Jokic slows Nuggets in that series because of the mental and physical drainedness that Jokic has, also impacting the offense of the Nuggets.

[@dylan9013]

Would've loved to see prime Howard go against prime Jokic. Offensive juggernaut vs defensive powerhouse. What a battle THAT would be.

[@DefaultHeroEntertainment]

And prime Dwight as a defensive powerhouse would still put up 25 points.

[@BellyBuddha]

Ngl prime Howard clamping Jokic

[@Ali-fo4uv]

@@BellyBuddhano he isnt jokic just got into his prime last 3 years

[@mr.renaissancemts]

Would've been like Shaq n sabonis

[@sanojames9518]

@@mr.renaissancemts howard aint shaq not even close dont go there

[@ThirdyNaive]

I miss this squad

[@antdoge29]

jokic still outscored howard and did really good in games.its lb and ad that beat nuggets then

[@DefaultHeroEntertainment]

You can't just look at points, how many buckets did Dwight prevent on defense? That was his true role on this team.

[@jemje2007]

DW39 did a good job as a role player.

[@pool2500rb]

after this series jokic avenged this by beating the lakers in the playoffs so many times and winning the chip while the lakers haven't been the same

[@melvincuaresma-SW]

Haven’t been the same? Go check the standings! Lakers are the 4th seed this season

[@petervang8127]

Howard did well considering refs favoring the super star. If anything it was his physicality that wore Jokic down.

[@scrapboi45]

I’m still saying Laker Front Office, Call Dwight Howard! Atleast give him a Look lol

[@orlandowilliamson691]

Dummies I swear no way n hell if I'm a GM and letting Dwight Howard walk away...he's Def not what he used to be but still a big body and productive!

[@orlandowilliamson691]

Team like Gs,Mia, and my Lakers can use him 😂

[@whippedhurdle5217]

AD, Dwight Howard, andLeBron james? jesus christ, how much manpower do yall need to defeat Jokic? 😂😂

[@trevaunperry5722]

@@whippedhurdle5217 Davis can’t guard jokic need somebody like Howard in front of him at times

[@TruthSerum99-zq9fl]

2024-2025 Lakers not signing WASHED up Dwight Howard not stopping Nikola Jokic who's way better player then 4-5 seasons ago proof you don't know basketball and a casual Dwight Howard WASHED you clearly didn't watch his last stint with Lakers 33-49 missed playoffs 2021-2022 It's a reason why Dwight Howard out of NBA and none of 30 NBA teams signed him over 2 season plus

[@RafaelUnplugged]

Damn jokic really hitting Dwight and the guards with them cheap shots in this video it’s crazy. You’d think he was mentored by Chris Paul lol

[@RexyTingcang]

AD is more comfortable being in 4 than being center...,he's not struggling for offensive and defensive rebound..also boxouting

[@SB-ye5oi]

That dunk by Carushow 😳

[@aleczanderestrella0922]

They let go of Dwight because of AD. Now they can't win anymore 😂 AD and bron are really buddies😂

[@oggydisapir4821]

Howard is a Sacrificial pawn for the lakers, Dhowards focuses more and more and more on defense like locking down the opponent best scorer, that is his job while davis need to balance himself defensively and offensively while howard can get easily 6 fouls, while in the other hand, davis need to be mindful of getting fouls because he is the major key aside from lebron.

[@beansmockchange4606]

can you do a compilation of vince williams' defensive gameplay

[@DoritosBurger]

This was the first time Jokic ever dealt with this kind of physical defense, I can assure that now he would be much better at handling it.

[@marro2483]

He hasn’t seen it since what makes you think he would handle it better

[@DoritosBurger]

@ because he’s a much better player now. He has improved in so many different ways, Dwight Howard defense would be child’s play for him.

[@Dollaupt]

@@DoritosBurgerofcourse he 5 yrs older now but that fact that he gave him problems out of his prime just shows you if he was in his 20s joker wouldn’t even be a thing

[@TrueGuardify]

@@Dollaupt Goes both ways, this is Jokic before his prime too. Looks like a completely different player now.

[@Dollaupt]

@@TrueGuardify joker was 24 at the time he pretty much in his prime it not like he was some young pup he was already in the league 6 yrs by then

[@33bigmoney]

Its so disappointing to see that all these years ot was the old Dwight Howard that put the most energy to stop jokic no one else. I did see Nurkic and Zubac guard him well, but no one gave his all in energy to guard jokic like howard in 2020 because they dont want to be embarrassed like “look at him giving his all but still cant guard him” so they dont even try

[@melgibson5006]

Off ball, Jokic was hugging Howard every possession

[@dnomyard]

People actin' like his 3 DPOTY were just a flukes. He ain't no Gobert, ppl forget he the baddest, coldest mf in the league a decade ago.

[@TaylorScobey]

Damn I just legit forgot about Paul millsap 😭

[@goldenbuckets23]

The last time Jokic faced Dwight he had 38/18/6 and this was against both AD and Dwight on the floor (2022). Prime Jokic >>>>>>>>>> pre mvp Jokic. Jokic in his prime cannot be stopped. The worse he could play is like he did against Gobert/Kat/Naz/ McDaniels and he still put up 30/10/5 including a 35/20 in game 7.

[@swollpenispok8172]

Lal traded away all their elite perimeter defenders. The idea that Dwight or Kat can stop jokic is crazy. Minnesota had the dpoy surrounded by 3 all d type guys + Kat to defend the post and still cooked.

[@Tigliz12]

NBA = No Boxout Association

[@fabzgotit]

So many bullshits calls against Dwight and nothing against Jokic. Crazy bias

[@hftak9009]

and the lakers continue to not sign this man to deal with jokic

[@cdknowledge]

It's been 4 years...

[@MalikWhite-e3p]

The league clearly seen dis and kno not to let dis man play for da lake show bc they know he Jokic kryptonite 🤷🏾‍♂️ ijs

[@18_zki]

All I've seen is Howard fouling Jokic every play 😅. And Denver has been Lakers daddy recently

[@pool2500rb]

fr refs are cheating as usual and lakers have not been the same after this series while denver keeps winning playoffs

[@molinschado1987]

The lakers should bring back howard in the team.

[@TruthSerum99-zq9fl]

2024-2025 Lakers not signing WASHED up Dwight Howard who's not stopping Nikola Jokic who's way better player then 4-5 seasons ago proof you don't know basketball and a casual Dwight Howard WASHED you clearly didn't watch his last stint with Lakers 33-49 missed playoffs 2021-2022 It's a reason why Dwight Howard out of NBA and none of 30 NBA teams signed him over 2 season plus 2024-2025 Lakers not a championship level team get over it kid

[@borisbalta2542]

😂

[@alexmarasigan3997]

Yes he oward very omportant to lakers but why cannot see the owner

[@marialuisahabab7134]

Bring back DH

[@TruthSerum99-zq9fl]

2024-2025 Lakers not signing WASHED up Dwight Howard whos not stopping Nikola Jokic who's way better player then 4-5 seasons ago proof you don't know basketball and a casual Dwight Howard WASHED you clearly didn't watch his last stint with Lakers 33-49 missed playoffs 2021-2022 It's a reason why Dwight Howard out of NBA and none of 30 NBA teams signed him over 2 season plus

[@שחףהראל-ל2ו]

so if joker would play in the leauge around the 200s he would just look like an advanced version of arvydas sabonis? He clearly has issues with dwight. what he would do aginst shaq and moutombo who are bigger? probably revert to shooting from outside as he doesnt have the strength to back this guys up on the post

[@mourathdas5405]

Bruh he improved a lot in 5 years you won't remain the same in those 5 years

[@MostafaGerami-h8h]

JOkic got a whole lotta calls just because league is trynna force out and isolate dwight, he shouls honstly still be in the league

[@channel_3790]

Why tf lakers didn’t keep this team 🤦‍♂️

[@dannycarmo9553]

dont know what the lakers are waiting for

[@kikiritkov]

The refs are in clear favor of the Lakers.

[@DeserteagleMS]

Jokic weared him like a coat. Stuperman.

[@Tobi_Creative]

nobody in the current NBA players can put pressure on jokic like that. they all just let him be , are they afraid? or lazy? or playing soft?

[@humblelion2]

💯

[@yuzhen2731]

your guys already know why until now Lakers lost to Nuggets

[@TheAlan11223]

No lie the Lakers used to have 3 really good 3 and d players like KCP, Danny Green and Alex Caruso. Trading them for Russel WestBrick really was a lop sided trade :/. This team used to have dawgs on defense and great fire power from range.

[@rb9888]

why the refs always root for lakers?

[@toxicmelody6228]

We need to start drug testing GMs because what did Pelinka snort before he got the bright idea to get rid of damn near the whole team after a championship?

[@hurelulgaenkhtur7626]

I miss this team already howard caruso kcp kuzma mccge rondo and denny green was great defender s hows rob pelinka did ruined this team already after winnj g chip hes ruined separate this team never paid mcge howard and denny green

[@hungerxhunger2548]

Was LBJ he wanted Russ...

[@FelipeCampox]

Dwight fuma o gordic

[@uncleasian8697]

Bro Dwight is annoying 😂

[@kieranforde8877]

Du de e they called anything I hate the nba mow

[@台灣專出慣老闆]

I believe magic Howard can guard

[@doubleoju2500]

If Dwight did what jokic was doin to him, he woulda fouled out. Jokic is dirty af and nobody says anything.