SUMMARY
- Fans have started to compare Nikola Jokic to Michael Jordan after a solid Game 5 performance.
- He is the only second round pick besides Reed Willis to have won an MVP award, let alone three.
Nikola Jokic stunned the masses after a historic Game 5 performance during the Denver Nuggets vs Minnesota Timberwolves series. Earlier in the playoffs, Jokic wasn’t the biggest star around. However, it was Anthony Edwards who stole the show during the first round against the Phoenix Suns. Edwards more or less bullied his idol out of the playoffs, while drawing some major comparisons to Michael Jordan.
However, while the Timberwolves were taking on the Nuggets in the second round, Edwards was interviewed by ESPN’s Malika Andrews. The All-Star shooting guard reflected on the attention and comparisons he’s been reflecting. He told Andrews that he wished to be recognized as himself and not as the next Jordan of the NBA. However, his words have come back to haunt him now as the Nuggets take an impressive 3-2 lead in the series.
Fans believe Nikola Jokic is the next Michael Jordan in the making
In 41 minutes, 40 points, 13 assists, 7 rebounds, and no turnovers were the impressive stat line Nikola Jokic managed to rack up during Game 5. He achieved a couple of career milestones and also became the only other player besides Chris Paul with this stat line. Jokic made Rudy Gobert look like a rookie defender and not the 4x DPOY he is. After a dominant showing, fans couldn’t help but deem him the next Michael Jordan over Anthony Edwards.
Ant is no MJ. 🤦♀️
— KingRomeo (@RomeosWisdom) May 15, 2024
Nikola Jokic is Michael Jordan not Anthony Edwards.
— RebuildYear (@kenny_pdx) May 15, 2024
What an absurd pass by Nikola Jokic pic.twitter.com/Fy8PwqH9nx
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) May 15, 2024
One fan said, “Ant is no MJ” Another fan added, “Nikola Jokic is Michael Jordan, not Anthony Edwards.” Jokic also racked up his ninth career 30/5/10 game, which happens to be more than what centers since 1965 have recorded combined. But Jokic’s teammates also deserve equal credit for giving him good looks or stepping up plays for him to take control over. In fact, Jokic went 8-9 while Gobert was his primary defender.
Nikola Jokic went from a second-round pick to a 3x MVP
Nikola Jokic came into this league as a second-round pick who wasn’t favored by many teams at the time. The 3x MVP averaged single digits in his first season, as expected by any second-round pick who was given a lot of minutes. A year before his first MVP season, he averaged only 19.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 7 assists per game.
Nikola Jokic is leading the 2020s in
— playoff rebounds
— playoff assists
— playoff double-doubles
— playoff triple-doublesGenerational. pic.twitter.com/pjBk0ikp0u
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 15, 2024
And out of nowhere, the Joker began averaging 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists. Suddenly, Jokic was a top MVP candidate that almost everybody feared guarding. He happens to be one of two second-round picks to ever win an MVP award let alone three. Willis Reed was the only other second-round pick who won the title in 1970. Isaiah Thomas, a former second-round pick came close to winning the MVP in 2016. He finished 5th in the race while Stephen Curry won his second.