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Denver Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic is in the midst of an all-time great NBA playoff run. Behind his well-balanced scoring attack and dynamic playmaking, Jokic has led the Nuggets to their first-ever NBA Finals appearance.
This has led many to proclaim the star big man the best player in the league. Amid those verbal accolades, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons recently took his praise of Jokic a step further.
During a recent episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” Simmons said that if Denver wins the title, the Serb will become a top 25 player of all time.
“I just kept putting him over guys and he’s higher than I expected,” Simmons said.
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“I’m just gonna say that. Like, I have him in the Top 25 now.”
He then stated that Jokic reminds him of a combination of all-time great NBA superstars, including Bill Walton, Dirk Nowitzki, and Larry Bird.
“You watch the game he played tonight [Game 2 vs. the Miami Heat] — or let’s take the last two Finals games. He’s taking pieces of some of the great finals players we’ve ever had and he’s just making a soufflé of those guys,” Simmons said.
“Like, he’s got the ’77 (Bill) Walton, he’s got the 2011 Dirk (Nowitzki) and he’s got the ’86 (Larry) Bird passing and post-up stuff, and he’s just using all three of those parts.”
He concluded:
“I think the effect that he has on his teammates and these stretches that he’ll have, like the game he had tonight, it’s just ridiculous. He’s at, for me, I mean, really close to the highest level.
“I mean, he would have to win the title. I factored this in, like, assuming Denver wins, Top 25. If they don’t win, nudge him backward a little bit. But I think we’re now in that territory.”
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Bill Simmons lists some all-time great NBA players Nikola Jokic is on the same level as now
Later on in his podcast, Bill Simmons named some all-time greats whose level he thinks Nikola Jokic has matched. Despite there being a crowded field of players vying for top 25 all-time status, Simmons said he kept finding himself moving Jokic higher and higher.
“So, we’re talking guys like Karl Malone, KG (Kevin Garnett), Bob Petit, Julius Erving, Elgin Baylor, Dirk (Nowitzki), Giannis (Antetokounmpo), John Havlicek,” Simmons said.
“Like, from a talent standpoint, I think he’s there. He’s got the MVPs. But it was just kind of jarring as I was making the list, ‘Oh, he’s better than that guy. He’s better than that guy (too),’ and I just kind of kept going up.
“He’s about as reliable of a dominant offensive force as we’ve had in a long time.”
Jokic is averaging 30.4 points, 12.9 rebounds, 10.1 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.8 blocks and 1.8 3-pointers per game on 54.5% shooting through 17 playoff games. He most recently put up 41 points in the Denver Nuggets' 111-108 Game 2 loss against the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
