Joking about LeBron
Denver’s star center respects the four-time MVP, draws comparisons between them
Nikola Jokic’s dedication to the joke was so strong it took a full 20 seconds for him to crack.
Ahead of Thursday’s national TV broadcast between the Nuggets (12-8) and Lakers (16-6), pitting MVP frontrunners Jokic and LeBron James against one another, Denver’s star center was asked whether he sees any similarities between himself and the ageless four-time MVP.
“Oh yeah,” Jokic began. “The speed is there. We are the same athletic-wise. … I don’t know, can he jump as high as me actually? But we are kind of similar in the quickness. He’s a little bit older, so, I don’t know, can he keep up?”
Finally, Jokic began to break, a smirk betraying his deadpan humor.
“Speed and quickness,” he sputtered before giving in. “I’m joking. I mean, oh my god, guys, he’s the best player in the league. He’s a guy who’s been doing this for a long time, affect the game in every possible way. There is some kind of similarities because how we affect our teammates. That is similar. And just that.”
Forget how well received Jokic’s joke was, or the fact that he’s eliciting comparisons to one of the all-time greats. Jokic’s answer was a telling window into his state of mind. It didn’t matter that he was speaking in a foreign language, or that it had the potential to be taken out of context, or that he was poking the bear a day before visiting the same Lakers who ousted the Nuggets in five games during last year’s playoffs.
Humble and affable, Jokic is completely at ease with who he is and his place in the game. And why wouldn’t he be? The Nuggets went 11-5 in January, and Jokic was named Western Conference Player of the Month on Tuesday.
Does that mean more respect from his peers?
“I respect everybody,” Jokic said. “So I don’t know, do people respect me more or less?”
He doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone, nor does he care to. He’s already got the keys to the franchise and the complete trust of everyone in the organization.
“Joker should easily be in the conversation with LeBron and Larry Bird, all them, Kareem,” said fellow franchise
“Joker should easily be in the conversation with LeBron and Larry Bird, all them, Kareem.”
Jamal Murray, Nuggets guard on teammate Nikola Jokic
cornerstone Jamal Murray. “We could put him with damn-near everybody in the league that’s played.”
Murray, one of the primary beneficiaries of Jokic’s generosity, exalted his rare unselfishness.
Naturally, Jokic went all-out for his first career player of the month award and the Nuggets’ first since Carmelo Anthony in 2009.
“I was with my wife at home,” he said. “… I mean, that’s what I did.”
Following Monday’s postponement against Detroit, a game that would’ve been Denver’s seventh in 11 days, the Nuggets were practically giddy from all the time off.
“We were fatigued both mentally and physically, it allowed us to not expend a lot of energy on Monday night, have an off day yesterday,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Wednesday. “We had a great practice today, loved the energy that was in the gym from beginning to end.”
It was palpable in Murray’s interview session, too. Banged up from the elbow to the shoulder to the glute, Murray bantered back and forth with reporters the entire press conference.
“I feel the exact same way (physically),” Murray said candidly before breaking into a toothy grin. “Obviously, it’s good to have an extra 12, 24 hours, but in this league, it’s not very much. … It takes one hit again to start you all back over. But it’s fine. It’s a lot of fun.”
As welcome as Monday’s extra day off was, reality will hit Thursday night. The Lakers are tied for second in the West and boast the best defense in the
NBA. That’s to say nothing of the offensive juggernaut waiting to emerge behind James and Anthony Davis.
Once again, they pose a threat, and it’s not as if the Nuggets have forgotten recent history.
“I felt a couple breaks here and there, that series could easily have gone to six, seven games,” Malone said of their Conference Finals clash. “But they went on to win it, with LeBron and A.D. kind of shouldering the heavy load of that team. … They went out and added Montrezl (Harrell), Dennis Schroeder and Marc Gasol, three terrific players that I think even makes them
more dangerous this season than they were last.”
With wins in six of their last seven games, the Nuggets head to Los Angeles as well-rested and jubilant as they’ve been all season. Until Jokic takes himself seriously, there’s no reason for the Nuggets to fret.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Murray said. “It’s gonna be a fun game. We’ve had some rest. It’s always fun to go against the Lakers, in that arena, that environment. You know L.A. loves me.”