The Floor General. The Horseman. The Triple-Double King.
Is there anything that this nonchalant man among boys cannot do on the court?
How does he make it look so easy day in and day out?
Who in this league can guard him or shut him down?
Is there a system that can effectively contain him?
There is no answer. Nikola Jokic is a creature from an entirely different solar system with a tremendously high basketball IQ. He is a man of very few words during the post-conferences, but a man of many words when trying to put his younger teammates up on game, or when he is instructing the referees how to do their jobs correctly.
Nikola Jokic lets his game do all the talking. The man is lethal from every spot imaginable on the court, proving to the league why it isn’t crazy to consider that he should’ve been the MVP for the past 5 consecutive years.
He is currently the 2nd runner up in the NBA MVP race with 46% of the votes on the heels of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 48% of the votes. Joker has had a far better season thus far, has struck multiple triple-doubles, and is clearly a more well-rounded player. The proof is in the pudding.
Jokic is the best in the business and leads the entire league in Box+/-, triple-doubles, shooting percentage, the greatest number of 50-point games, player efficiency rating, and now has the most points in one game. He also recently passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan in the assists category all within the past few weeks.
No acrobatics or extra antics on or off the court. Just a highly skilled disciplined hooper that is very effective in all aspects of the game, comparable to Tim Duncan, but with an extensive arsenal. A generational talent that this league has never seen before.
Tonight, Minnesota didn’t have an answer for Jokic.
The Joker has single-handedly destroyed the Timberwolves, time and time again. He now has 8 career triple-doubles against them, but tonight’s triple double was one to remember for a “Christmas Classic” that’ll be long etched in our memories for decades.
The “Modern Day Wilt Chamberlain” and then some, put up ludicrous numbers with 56 points, 16 rebounds, 15 assists. He also set a league record with 18 points in overtime tonight. His performance was the 2nd (50-15-15) triple-double in NBA history. Over the last two games combined, Nikola Jokic has 85 points, 23 rebounds, 29 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. Stupid numbers.
Jokic has smoked this team twice in 2025. The last time the Joker put up numbers at this magnitude was earlier this year last season, on April 1,2025, where he had 61 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Both performances by Nikola Jokic were against Minnesota’s multiple “Defensive Player of the Year”, Rudy Gobert.
The man gets better with age, and his IQ increases each game played. Nikola’s game is contagious and makes his teammates better.
He forces opposing teams to come up with new defensive strategies to stop him, and it doesn’t seem to work for them. We are watching the greatest Center to ever play the game of basketball in the making.
The Enigma. A Rare Breed. The Joker.
Dante Robinson | Senior NBA Analyst for The NSR Network
