The Domino Effect of Nikola Jokic

[@poly_g6068]

I never really bought into the notion that Jokic is 'unathletic'. He's a 300lbs center of course he's not fast. If anything he is really, really quick for his size.

[@shorewall]

Really, when they say athletic, they just mean jumping. Joker makes everyone look silly, he books it up and down the court, he is strong as hell. He just doesn't jump for dunks or blocks. And that's it.

[@glovs4188]

Well. Dumb americans think athletic equals=jump high.

[@niqowyd]

Yeah people need to realize cardio, hand eye coordination, strength, endurance, and flexibility are part of “athleticism”. Not just run fast jump high

[@nuraby_9228]

People associate athleticism with explosiveness, which the NBA has so much of, it warps people's perceptions.

[@amycarter8497]

@TheoP-qq6sv what’s a “slow twitch muscle?”

[@00tingabinga11]

can't judge a book by its cover. The joker's cardio is no joke!

[@МаксимГорюнов-м7и]

Except when it matters most in the elimination game lol. 3 time fraud MVP

[@edferr09]

​@@МаксимГорюнов-м7иwtf man, i want your smoke man 😂😂😂😂

[@MimieThalie]

​@@МаксимГорюнов-м7иmay be don't you know that basket is a collective sport.. 😂😂😂

[@ididntaskverified3663]

His 29 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists were not enough to carry his bum with 30% fg against 2 all stars, the sixth man, and a dpoy. That is true greatness

[@MimieThalie]

@@ididntaskverified3663 I confirme, it's a collective game. 🤣🤣 And it's the season that determine the MVP, not the play offs.

[@trashman1791]

jokic played like 50+ minutes in a playoff game vs the blazers man has crazy stamina

[@HoopDreams-hx8nw]

I am pretty sure ti was 65 mins.

[@DaDualityofMan]

He played like all of Game 7 against the Wolves, idk why nobody talks about that

[@swoog10]

Over the last 8 years, Jokic has turned his apparent “weakness” of stamina or speed into one of his greatest strengths. He has the best cardio of any modern big man no doubt.

[@KingslayerSrb]

Same happened in the Olympics. Team Serbia got so many transition points because Jokic would always push the pace (and other guys would as well)

[@rastaman2722]

3 MVP's for a reason...

[@МаксимГорюнов-м7и]

White privilege

[@nigelee]

The effort and intelligence to run the floor reminds me a lot of Tim Duncan, who would get several buckets a game just by being willing to put in effort other big men wouldn't. And just like Duncan, and David Robinson, Jokic is willing to do grunt work to win. Not everything has to be a Dream Shake or sky hook; effort plays like running in transition or put backs off rebounds all add up, and can be as mentally draining for the opposition as some dazzling piece of skill.

[@johnnymarin5035]

You can hear the opposition lose their cool when jokic gets an easy putback right after a possession where he made a crazy shot lol.

[@MimieThalie]

Duncan was his favorite player.

[@markogjorgiev4912]

Its because people nowadays are obssessed with highlights and don't understand the power of fundamentals. When you mentioned Tim I remember watching the Spurs as a kid and I was always confused by how they can win vs teams that look more explosive. But the thing is the more I watched the more I realized that no matter what you do, the fundamentals always work and Tim would break you just by playing a simple effective play. Years forward its the same with Jokic. And their greatest skill beside the fundamentals is their unselfishness. Imagine how hard is it to guard someone that is not gonna let you guard him if you let his teammate open for a second. Your only choice is the poison you choose.

[@HkFinn83]

It’s partly effort but it’s partly just talent as well. Endurance is a talent as well as the result of training. Not anyone can win the Tour de France just by trying hard.

[@markogjorgiev4912]

@@HkFinn83 anyone can win the Tour the France if they put as much work and for as long as the best in the world

[@SamuelBlackMetalRider]

Crazy stamina and number analysis reveal that he runs more distance than 95% of NBA players. Top 5 most distance ran or something like that. So underrated, something casuals don’t see / comprehend

[@JayJay-wf2oe]

Casuals only look at explosiveness, you have to constantly either speed up like a rocket or jump out of the building to be called athletic. Someone like Russ who has exactly that but no control is viewed more athletic than someone who is an all-around athlete like older LeBron, despite LeBron actually could display the same explosiveness if he wanted to

[@Burgertext]

When he said Jokic didn't let his opponents get off the ground, I noticed how he boxes out by putting his arms on top of the other players' arms so they can't jump up or reach for the ball. I'm sure a lot of people were taught this growing up but I definitely never thought of it, I was always told to just get inside position then jump with no other details--bad coaching and lack of awareness on my part made me box out incorrectly my whole life. I only sealed the horizontal but Jokic seals both horizontal AND vertical. That's how you get rebounds!

[@tigacainta]

What He lacks in pure Athleticism he makes up for tons of court smarts / streetball skills at a higher level.. Same as Luka on offense.. they simply used IQ to their advantage.. same as Lebron has IQ & Athleticism + work ethic

[@ReCharredSigh]

Preventing your defensive opponent from being able to jump or from reaching out their arms is a key tactic of offensive rebounding, not just positioning.

[@davorzdralo8000]

Eh, you pretty much need to be bigger than your oponent to do this effectively, so it's not something everyone will do.

[@whateverreally1347]

Jokic also gets away with a ton of loose ball fouls on those

[@rudyardganuelas6254]

this is something that duncan would do too. plant your feet under the torso of whoever you are boxing in, so they can't jump up, or if they do, they get called fOr a looseball foul. they are also masters of the no jump, tip to yourself rebound.

[@michaelroush4673]

I will say, watching Jokic in person brings this to light. I watched him against the Kings last year and was shocked at how "slow" he looks but how quickly he gets down the court. Despite looking a little funky the dude genuinely covers a lot of ground very quickly

[@akshayde]

He just looks slow because his legs aren't moving fast. But his legs are big so he is covering distance quickly.

[@hairypotter259]

That boy got stamina for days

[@allphornunn]

Fact: Jokic is in phenomenal cardio shape. Great video

[@waff6ix]

JOKIC IQ IS INSANE💯

[@stephenholmgren405]

That waycist!

[@niro6492]

He has more IQ than all the lakers combined.

[@ethanb3299]

Jokers super power is his ability to stay focused thru every single millisecond of the game. He’s always playing one mental step ahead of the rest of the court, and that focus doubles into body control. He may not have the explosiveness traditionally associated with athleticism, but his motor and focus are elite, coupled with outstanding cardio as other comments have mentioned (much like how Steph curry’s athleticism [cardio] is under appreciated)

[@sorenwestwood1514]

Joker has a lot of ballet athleticism, which is more important than nuclear athleticism in basketball at pretty much every position. It also keeps you healthier. You don't wreck your knees, its easier to find your body on a given day/be consistent for your team. I think the idea of dunking is just really cool but conditioning and ballet athleticism are more important. I appreciate the question this video brings regarding the game.

[@astromigui]

Thank you, I've been on a crusade about Nikola's athletisism for years ! I'm doing the same with Luka.

[@Peanutdenver]

The more I hear people say Joker is not athletic the more I see him do athletic things on court. Dude is just a unicorn.

[@mehdiajjabou2174]

Like a great boker who is so relax in the ring, he grows stronger as the game progresses.

[@andmyAlex]

Athleticism = Body Awareness + Body Control + Stamina Joker is the best athlete in the league imo.

[@andrewpeli9019]

This is the kind of stuff that Shaq didn't do. People called out Shaq for being lazy. Despite his physical dominance when he was playing hard, he misses the goat conversation because of lack of hustle. Jokic is a different kind of animal.

[@slatchet2799]

great vid, i've been thinking this about jokic too ! the term athletic is way over used imo because usually people just say it for people who are strong or run fast or jump high , but range of motion, hand eye coordination and durability are some other athletic qualities just to name a few.

[@ReCharredSigh]

jokic running hard after a stop may not lead to him scoring or getting an assist, but it may put his matchup behind him and then put the remaining defense in rotation, forcing someone else to come over like lebron, which leaves a wide open shot or layup for his teammates. This is why running hard in transition, and cutting hard in the half court are so important, even if you don't get the ball.

[@dimelo58]

This is all IQ and effort he’s also got crazy stamina.

[@RealMrGreenTeaLatte]

Great breakdown of Jokic's sneaky athleticism!

[@unhomme1737]

That's not athleticism, that's stamina.

[@MimieThalie]

​​@@unhomme1737endurance is athlétism.. Athletism means having athletic skins, not being bodybuilded.. 😂😂

[@unhomme1737]

@@MimieThalie No it's not. You can be athletic and have no stamina and you can have a lot of stamina and not be athletic.

[@MimieThalie]

@@unhomme1737 no, or marathon runners aren't athletes.. And it's liying that saying Joker just has Stamina..

[@unhomme1737]

@@MimieThalie being an athlete and being athletic is different.

[@robertreyes8792]

Jokic looked really quick in the Olympics. Especially with his spins in the post

[@ishaanpitcon4572]

AD would have had a chance if he didn't get himself out of the game after every mistake. He always takes a couple of seconds to regroup from the emotional impact of those mistakes. He facepalms, raises his hands in the air, or whatever. He's just too preoccupied with his own performance. On the other hand Jokic is always sharp and aware. His head is never out of the game for not even a second.

[@1023nick]

This is exactly why I'm subscribed! Just the perfect eye for these "little" basketball details, great video

[@marvintg2002]

There's a saying here in Germany: "A good horse never runs more than it has to."

[@amycarter8497]

Love that!

[@godenhwang2603]

Also want to shoutout how much this highlights AD’s defense, without him the Lakers rim is very open. Obviously he is BBQ chicken against Jokic but still a amazing defender

[@amycarter8497]

AD is a force not to be ignored! Love him. (Nuggets fan btw)

[@siphillis]

Not to mention, having to be Jokić's primary defender means have to deal with THE strongest player in the NBA over and over again. That'll get exhausting quick

[@SilverSkitterscuttle]

Love Joker, but he is not the strongest player in the NBA! He does not have the muscle-especially arms-of a Shaq, Adams, Zion...But he is strong!

[@brown3261]

really great video. feel like most people don’t notice this kind of shit myself included

[@djdrake111]

Ever since he lost weight due to Covid 2020 season in the bubble his cardio been amazing changed his career resulted to one of the greatest centers/bigs of All time

[@DaDualityofMan]

I like how this video shows he’s not unathletic, his athleticism is just different

[@slow_Jo]

Jokic is just too smart. he knows the weakness of his opponents and does everything he can to put them in bad spots.

[@MimieThalie]

He has the same physical skills than a 2nd row in rugby, his tall, his puissance, his resitance, his stamina and his cardio and great support. Curry said in an Itw that he exhausted all his opponents. You don't have such capacities without hard working.. The most impressive about joker is that he was able to adapt his game to his skill to be efficient, not get injuried and to progressed. He probably has to make an impressive strenghtening work, and it's more important than to built muscles .

[@manpbb]

haha i love the use of pink guy's "STFU" instrumental

[@Tylaluiger]

threw me for a loop i wasnt expecting that on an nba vid

[@AakashSenthil]

dude you should have a million subs great content!!!!!!!!!

[@Blorbifink]

It's funny to see Jokic sprinting down the court to get a mismatch on the Lakers, when that was something they had AD do all the time during their championship run

[@Sammyk94950]

He’s efficient, that’s all. He knows when to turn on the jets and preserve his energy. He gets to his spot and makes the right play.

[@bogoljubdjordjevic7528]

I talk about this for years he is much faster then think people realise and he have maybe best stamina of all players in NBA he was play almost every game and he is almost always first in attack and first in defence and people talk bs how he is slow!!!

[@JayJay-wf2oe]

Same, I realized this years ago when I watched him live running fast breaks. Very few in his size could run the court like that, consistently throughout the game. His speed is actually excellent and stamina is unparalleled

[@MrSoulwhisper]

Crazy that people are surprised that the best basketball player in the world is a good athlete 😂

[@fl3782]

Yeah, that is one thing very, very different between Luka and Jokic. Jokic very often gets to the opponents' half-court way ahead of their centers or even forwards

[@KamrenMCOC]

Seeing jokic effort and minutes really puts wilts 48.5 minutes per game into perspective. Wilts motor would have been awesome to witness. I wish jokic could play 48 minutes per game. If he clould hed have 3 rings by now

[@blablablaa14]

Its actually something Minnesota focused on a ton during their series with Denver and it helped them a ton. They just immediately put someone on Jokic so he had to pass it out instead of lead the fast break himself, and it really helped them slow down the nuggets and jokic's impact. I expect to see that happening more and more as teams try to slow Jokic down in any way possible

[@stefanveljovic6639]

Most teams do not have two 7 footers on the floor at all times.

[@blablablaa14]

@@stefanveljovic6639 Nothing about what I said related to having 7 footers. Yes that's a different thing that Minnesota did, but they also stopped him from being the guy leading the ball up the floor. Which was more about the players prioritizing stopping the ball if Jokic had it

[@stefanveljovic6639]

Ok, but does any other contender have a luxury of having his big in a high press? KAT and Naz were comfortable knowing Rudy was in the paint behind them. Jokić would easily find AG in a favourable spot in transition if that wasn't the case. Just watch how they exploited Lakers' transition defense when AG was in a mismatch.

[@blablablaa14]

@@stefanveljovic6639 Okay but I said nothing about that. I was focusing on something else completely

[@nemajabakic4546]

That and Jamal forgetting how to play in playoffs

[@metalhead2536]

Some may say Jokic is a defensive liability, yet here he is making a DPOY candidate a defensive liability for many possessions off of pure effort.

[@Goofy8907]

Great vid

[@amycarter8497]

Itching for a Joker vid. Just what I need today! 😂🎉

[@willjensen5595]

I'm liking the music haha

[@ivanivanovski1]

People are comparing athleticism to how he looks. Yes, he can't jump very high, but he is quick and agile for his stature. Also he has great cardio. He is not built like a model unfortunately.

[@djekna]

Great video!

[@juantootree4990]

bruh really had a pink guy soundtrack on a goat vid, goat music + goat vid = like

[@adityavarshney6690]

Innovative way to look at this. The 5m clip kinda showed how the whole series played out lol

[@RomnysGonzalez]

Nikola Jokic is so great and all time that he make people believe Jamal Murray and MPJ are actually good and make them earn max contracts

[@RazorTooths]

Brother really used Pink Guy's STFU as the background music, insane music pull

[@JerJosol]

i like how you put the stfu song by pink guy instrumental in the background

[@SummitSprint]

I never understood Americans: oh, Jokic is not athletic, yet he can always run, triple than AD who is considered athletic.

[@Eastra3]

Great video.

[@birgerfurugard7259]

Ohhh, i here OG joji in the background l. Nice 👌

[@kedrprao]

I said the same thing. Lakers roster have the basketball skillset but they literally lack most basic thing - stamina. Lakers intangibles are horrendous and thats one thing which is on coaches.

[@industar-SK]

1:09 Leflop in action

[@poly_g6068]

Worth it. Jokic was taken out of the play.

[@autismusmaximus7764]

​@@poly_g6068geht es dir gut?

[@Kodreanu23]

I'm a Serb but I don't buy athleticism. I'd argue it's more mental discipline and fitness. But this running into a fast break reminded me a lot on Karl Malone. He wouldn't dribble the ball but he would sprint all the time to the opponent's basket and have a lot of easy baskets at the rim

[@bojanmilenkovic2043]

Yep,I have never heard any Serbian coach,and they are the best in the world outside the NBA,to say this player is bad/good because of athleticism.The culture has also a lot to the with it,in US they see sport as entertainment .They will say this player is better because he has done more for the community,he is more popular or he never cheated on his wife . They don't have sports analysis on national TV it's only entertainers,they will say anything and usually don't watch and follow sport

[@leaffinite2001]

What is athleticism if it doesnt include mental discipline and fitness? T

[@Kodreanu23]

@@leaffinite2001 how high you jump and what is your 40 yard dash time, for example

[@leaffinite2001]

@Kodreanu23 that response doesnt actually answer my question. I agree that athleticism includes those things, but also it includes overall fitness and mental discipline. Its a broad category.

[@Kodreanu23]

@@leaffinite2001 so, you asked me a question and wanted me to say what you actually think is the right answer? Bro, give it a rest

[@Gminor7]

100%. Most of the overpaid commentators don’t know the definition of “athletic”, and the constant comments that he “can’t jump over a _______” might’ve been funny in his first or second year, but after watching him dominate for the past 8 years makes the smart ass commentators look stupid.

[@HayyuAdam]

Was literally rewatching your last vid and this pops up

[@pariketthakkar2687]

Brilliant Breakdown

[@sammy8796]

He’s sneakily one of the most conditioned players in the league. He’ll play pretty much the whole game running up and down the court with no problem, and makes it looks so easy. It’s crazy.

[@teowiz4210]

not many realize it, but Jokic's conditioning is unbelievable. he never runs out of gas and is very effective in the clutch

[@rybread1727]

I tell the kids i coach all the time - doesnt matter whose faster, its about who times their run properly

[@theycallmetray396]

Pink guy in the background is wild

[@anubis4032]

YESSSS WEVE BEEN Saying THIS FOR YEARS AD NEEDS TO GO BACK TO THE 4 VS CERTAIN TEAMS

[@sacmaliks]

That pink guy music in the background, thumbs up!

[@Stars2p]

Another thing : during the 2022-2023 Playoffs. After the first round, Jokic was among the TOP TEN players that had run the most. He was the only seven footer in the top ten, exept for KD, and we all know there's a bit of a weight difference there. Jokic is athletic, he has insane endurance. Making windmills is nice, being able to play at high level for longer is nicer.

[@gothamlab]

He is so much faster than anyone gives him credit for. Guy is more often than not the first one leading the break at 7 feet 300 pounds. Also, his endurance is best in the league. He could play all 48 minutes on a regular basis.

[@markolivo4830]

Aren't the lakers trying to roam AD against Denver and not match him up with Jokic anyway? This is more like pushing the ball to get the slightest advantage early. Also lbj and AD might be exhausted on offense trying to create with little help. Still Jokic is a genius though.

[@trashman1791]

jokic is guarding AD in most of these clips

[@pilo3323]

love ur background music

[@ParamoreFAV3]

What I also see is one team not letting the ball stick & the other team is having a possession where Austin Reaves is your P&R Ball Handler. No matter how good people think he is or how much they overrate him; that is a win for the defense every single time. In that offense, with that type of lineup; that ball needs to be in your best playmaker’s hands every trip down, and that’s LeBron. The only time Jokic didn’t touch the rock was open jumpers in transition and he even found some shooters himself. This is the playoffs; every single possession matters.

[@ojoemojo]

Pink Guy in the background!!!

[@olrascal5569]

most nba players wouldn't last a day not even a decade ago, they need the commercial break every 5 minutes and the egregious amount of foul calls to stop the time. Not to mention taking every other game off. Sure this means athleticism usually triumphs, but we see a lot more injuries now as well because they aren't built for the endurance required for a full season.

[@Elthenar]

Hard work beats talent if talent doesn't work hard. Of course, Jokic has talent too so good luck

[@MoneyPrinter123]

At least some of these clips look like it's purely a difference in hustle. 3:35 - AD misses his shot and spends a good 2 seconds just ballwatching. Jokic, on the other hand, is sprinting down the floor the moment the ball hits the rim and he's taken 4 steps by the time AD starts moving back back on defense. 3:50 - More AD ball watching, Jokic sprints in transition the moment the ball leaves AD's hands and he's at the arc by the time AD starts moving back on defense.

[@Inter_Are]

So basically he out hustled AD

[@Al.j.Vasquez]

The NBA will call you athletic only if you can windmill dunk the ball, it doesn't matter if you never run for sht, you can dunk hard? You're athletic, OMG you're sooo athletic. Jokic is more conditioned than athletic, but he is not Boban, that is a non athletic center, but not Jokic.

[@Firefist0123]

the most normal nuggets vs lakers plays 0:54 mpj gets a assist 1:10 Jokic Rides lebron

[@MarkoVuckovic32]

Well his horses are back in Serbia so he has to ride someone else while he is not home.

[@Tarquin2718]

Yes brilliant

[@supune]

It's bad journalism to call a well timed sped up jog a "sprint". But that aside you made wonderful observations. Big men need to have good court awareness right after they read what's going to happen on the rebound and need to turn and take 3 strong strides back. AD has always had issues with his motor turning off, though it's not as bad as the media claims it to be. His problem is that he lets his jogs become walks and doesn't do enough preparation to land in ways where he doesn't fall down after trying to crash the offensive boards. I think he should skip and back peddle more. That was awesome how you noted how Joker rarely gets himself behind his matched up big man while crashing the boards.

[@RuinAngel]

Jokic is never going to try to out jump or dive to the floor on defense so he can always start running the second transition starts. All it takes is a fall on the floor or pinned down the basket behind Jokic and he's off to the races. Basketball court is so small that you can be De'Aaron Fox fast and never catch Jokic if he had 1 second head start.

[@liftbread]

lmfao the backing track being shut the fuck up by joji is so funny to me

[@kaiyuzi]

is that STFU by pink guy in the back????

[@The-Dom]

"he cant spend all that energy on defense" is why MJ > Lebron

[@mikaelsansone3361]

you make It sound like an advanced basketball strategy. You Americans are funny. This is basic basketball that we teach our 8-year olds in Europe. Sprint back when you loose possession. Everyone knows this you has been thigh basketball. If you don't you are benched.

[@marco9561]

Slow twitch muscle fibers are good for endurance

[@whwh9342]

He probably has the top wattage output in NBA healthy Zion might be comparable.

[@maxpeng9641]

Joker's lack of athleticism comes from his lack of lift, less so speed. Jokic is very ground-bound, both on offense & defense. His straight-line speed is actually comparable to most centers.

[@axlcanada6511]

This video would be awesome even without narration. Watching the Lakers suck rocks is great

[@benstrong1393]

Reeves missed lay-up was a travel...

[@ax3214]

is that stfu on the back ground

[@twistedladder3506]

i believe it is R.I.P. Pink Guy

[@lazthegreat10]

Here comes the lightning

[@dexteros5770]

Bogdan Bogdanovic for Denver!!!

[@milancvijanovic2755]

PINK GUY SONG FOR LIFE

[@otispage4]

Crazy thought. Considering Shaqs conditioning. This could also apply to Jokic Shaq.

[@bascoaful]

i didn't expected Pinkguys "Shut the fuck up" playing in the background