The fact that he is a two-time NBA MVP is enough to attract attention in itself. But where Nikola Jokic is is always a show!
It was the same this time at the official “media day” of the Denver Nuggets in Colorado. You could have already read that our basketball player pointed out that he wants to be a legend of the Nuggets.
However, that is not all. The American journalists were most delighted by the gesture of the Denver center, who described it as the action of “the best teammate in the world”.
Namely, at the request of teammate Jamal Murray, Jokic got up from the table and went to bring him grapes, which made everyone in the hall laugh.
When he returned to the table, Jokic was asked if it was more difficult for him to play under NBA rules or those he experienced this summer with the national team (FIBA).
- Yes, it is different. The rules are partly responsible for this difference, but the setting on the field is different. The dimensions of the field are different, there is no rule of “defensive three seconds in the racket”, so the center of the defensive team can be in the racket all the time, and the triple is closer… Everyone is “charged” because of that. It was interesting to play by those rules again this summer, it was a new-old experience. I haven’t played by those rules for a long time.
Jokic points out that there is a serious difference in defense in Europe compared to the NBA.
- Is it more difficult? Yes, because you have to think extremely fast, let’s put it that way. In the NBA, when you get past your guard, you can see the help on defense coming, and in Europe, the help is already there and you have to think ahead. It is interesting – concluded Jokic.