{"id":31557,"date":"2020-06-21T10:00:42","date_gmt":"2020-06-21T14:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/?p=31557"},"modified":"2020-06-24T10:55:01","modified_gmt":"2020-06-24T14:55:01","slug":"top-30-players-nikola-jokic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2020\/06\/21\/top-30-players-nikola-jokic\/","title":{"rendered":"Last Word on Pro Basketball\u2019s Top 30 Players: Nikola Joki\u0107"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although ranking the top 30 NBA players in today\u2019s game is an incredibly difficult task, The Last Word on Pro Basketball staff has taken it on. Coming in at number 10 in the countdown is\u00a0<\/span>Denver Nuggets<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0center\u00a0<\/span>Nikola Joki\u0107.<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Top 30 NBA Players<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Number 10 \u2013 Nikola Joki\u0107<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Hailing from Sombor, Serbia, Joki\u0107 began his professional career playing for his home country in the Serbian League. His tenure in the Serbian League lasted three seasons (2012-15) and in his final season, he averaged 18.4 points and 10.4 rebounds.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2014, Joki\u0107 was selected 41st overall in the 2014 NBA Draft. He didn’t officially join the team until a year later. In July of 2015, he signed with Nuggets after averaging 8 points and 6.2 rebounds in five games during the Summer League.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ever since he arrived in the league, Joki\u0107 has played a major role in the evolution of the center position. His playing abilities have helped Denver earn a second-consecutive post-season appearance, as well as earned him a five-year $148 million <\/span>max deal<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n

Strengths<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Standing at seven feet tall with a 7\u2032 3\u2033 wingspan, Joki\u0107’s length gives him an advantage in two aspects of his game: rebounding and shooting. He leads the team in rebounding, averaging 10.2 rebounds per game. When Jokic is on the floor, this opens up multiple opportunities for the Nuggets to score. As a result, Denver is ranked\u00a0<\/span>sixth<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in second-chance points. Joki\u0107 also leads the team in scoring, averaging a career-high 20.2 points a game.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to rebounding and scoring, Joki\u0107 is also a skilled facilitator. He is the team leader in assists, averaging 6.9 per game, as well as being ranked eighth in assists among players this season. Denver is ranked\u00a0<\/span>fourth overall<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in assists.<\/span><\/p>\n

Weaknesses\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Although he is skilled at rebounding and shooting from his length, Joki\u0107 lacks strength for his position. While Joki\u0107 can perform well in the paint, he doesn’t possess the quality to necessarily “attack” the paint. This overall can make him vulnerable at times, especially when going against the likes of a\u00a0<\/span>Joel Embiid<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<\/span>Anthony Davis<\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Other areas that would need some improvement are athleticism and speed. In today’s NBA landscape, the game is more fast-paced and requires the centers at times to do more than the ordinary. Joki\u0107’s speed and agility are not quite there with the league’s current standards. This has hurt the Nuggets in times where fast-break plays would be needed for fast-paced teams. A reason why he lacks speed and agility has been tied to his weight. However, since the NBA break, he has been\u00a0<\/span>noticeably slimmer.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0Still, there is no telling on whether the weight loss will make a significant impact on his game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Career Accolades<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

In just five seasons in the league, Nikola Jokic has had his fair share of career accolades. He has won Western Conference Player of The Week six times since 2017 and has made two consecutive appearances in the NBA All-Star Game. Furthermore, Joki\u0107 has also made the 2016 All-Rookie First Team, as well as the 2019 All-NBA First Team.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last Word on Pro Basketball Top 30 NBA Players Ballots<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

We believe in full transparency in the top 30 NBA player rankings so we are going to disclose the ballots of our player rankings and where each contributor had each player ranked.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tyler Marling<\/a> \u2013 Site Manager \u2013 12th
\nChase Gage<\/a> \u2013 Managing Editor \u2013 13th
\nDavid Knight<\/a> \u2013 Marketing Manager \u2013 8th
\nZack Kircher<\/a> \u2013 Associate Editor \u2013 9th
\nMatthew Waldman<\/a> \u2013 Associate Editor \u2013 12th
\nDavid Ward<\/a> \u2013 Author \u2013 10th
\nAvinash Chauhan<\/a> \u2013 Contributor \u2013 10th
\nAdam Zigner<\/a> \u2013 Contributor \u2013 13th
\nAlbert Dadson<\/a> \u2013 Contributor \u2013 14th
\nDylan Guest<\/a> \u2013 Contributor \u2013 10th
\nRaheem Bashir<\/a> \u2013 Contributor \u2013 17th
\nNathan Levine<\/a> \u2013 Contributor \u2013 17th
\nBill Huan<\/a> \u2013 Contributor \u2013 10th<\/p>\n

Main Photo
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>