How Nikola Jokic Solved Basketball

the different eras of the NBA have been defined by the all-time greats each dominating the game in their own way from Jordan to Kobe to LeBron to Steph to today we have officially entered the Nicola yic era of the NBA pass yic collect it behind the back he's completely dominating the league picking apart the competition every single night it feels like he solved basketball when you think of the greatest centers in NBA history You'll Think of Wilt Kareem or Shack monsters who ruled the paint with brute force and physical dominance down he brought the but in the midst of this era of pace and space a new breed of Center has emerged his name is Nicola yic there's nobody to compare him to I think that's why it's so tough to understand or wrap our minds around like how great and how good of a talent he is he's magnificent magnificent I'll just leave it at that with the vision of a point guard passing like magic and Elite shooting touch jic has destroyed the traditional concepts of the game ushering in a new era of positionist basketball the definition of a generational player has always been up for debate but the truth is there are hardly any players who were truly generational today we can say Nicola yic is one of them each season the Serbian once again proves his abilities to elevate his team the Denver Nuggets to Contender status but in order to be called a generational player takes more than that the NBA is a story League that's gone through different eras each is defined by different styles of play led by completely unique players who have changed the game and opened the minds of their generation for a player to be truly generational he not only has to dominate the league but also change the game those eras have been marked by new styles of play led by incredible talents of the league the most imaginative Minds have been able to reinvent new ways to play the game and maybe just maybe we're witnessing a new era that's going to wreak havoc on the NBA for years to come any team sport inherently includes the concept of dominance some players simply have a gift that's why when the NBA was founded in 1946 it didn't take long for what would be considered the first generational player to arrive when you talk about the greats of basketball you got to think about George mikin George mikin dominated the league so much during his early years that management had to implement rules that could restrain a single player teams would do anything to keep the Lakers center from getting the ball including holding possession for minutes at a time and that's why the NBA eventually introduced the shot clock since then the Advent of generational Talent has continued to push the boundaries of basketball players like wi Chamberlain Bill Russell Oscar Robertson Pete marovich Kareem Abdul Jabar Larry Bird or Magic Johnson have owned different eras Over time however MJ oneon-one with Elliot f insired hits again the explosion of talent and popularity that occurred during the 1990s made one generation more important than the rest Michael Jordan's explosion in the era of dominance brought about a before and after in the game of basketball first in terms of play dominating the league with his incredible scoring season after season and turning the Chicago Bulls into the most iconic Dynasty in NBA history but second in terms of overall popularity the growth of the league during the Jordan ER turned the NBA from a league of national interest to a league of worldwide popularity the entire Globe watched With Envy as the American League concentrated the world's best talent into an unparalleled product Jordan inspired the next generation of kids wanting to be like Mike the truth is that Jordan was more than just the face of one of the most talented eras ever Michael was able to change the style of play of the game he was a smaller Superstar than the big men who had historically been the best players and people felt represented by him and of course every kid in the country wanted to wear the number 23 on his back with six championship rings and six finals MVPs his Legend grew to the unattainable his fadeaways his ball handling his ability to invent near the rim each time he drove and of course his exceptional athleticism inspired a whole generation that tried to follow in his footsteps wanted to be like MJ wanted to shoot fadeaways like MJ wanted to stick my tongue out on dunks like MJ wanted to wear my sneakers like [Applause] MJ sers has Jordan Jordan with two seconds to go puts it up and SC at the buzzer Michael Jordan has one and Chicago no one absolutely no one came close to Michael Jordan in play style as much as Kobe Bryant did the sun's leading 9897 tip one by Walt flicks it outside of Kobe takes it to Mid Court Kobe inside the three-point Arc Fades and fires and hits at the buzzer K be bright as H the blackmamba took over the league from MJ after his retirement and was the main reason why the NBA overcame the crisis it experienced during the 2000s his game started out as a carbon copy of Jordans but over time it became an evolution Kobe was the fiercest scorer of his generation being a constant threat from three levels that no defensive specialist was able to stop his mid-range game and footwork based on Jordan's became his signature of brilliance there was nothing more spectacular in the NBA than watching Bryant work from the low post to end up scoring one of the most difficult shots anyone would have ever thought of attempting but what United Kobe and Michael the most was without a doubt their competitive mentality they were two players obsessed with basketball but also with the tenacious need to dominate every time they stepped on the court take everybody oneone I know right yeah I'm going to make this a one-onone game team I wouldn't pass the ball hey you want this ball again brother you better rebound that's foul all day long oh I know you ain't talking I know you ain't talking hey you only got three now I get six I will get that foul you only got three now I know we you going you got to get up quick if you knew where I was going why you go for the f m after you fade the ball where else you going you left your feet yeah but where else you going to go in the game I go for you I SP all I go for these reib right here 2 that's all right hey you got I shoot him better when the clock going down you run into a player that has the same DNA that you do this attitude coupled with the success that he achieved during his career winning five NBA championships made Kobe the goat of his generation fans who were born during the late 80s and early '90s did not have the opportunity to see Jordan dominate but they did have the opportunity to watch the evolution of what was considered the greatest player of all time but like all eras at some point Kobe's one had come to an end reason of competition stolen by Brands uhoh as always the reason was the arrival of a new generational talent that introduced new ideas into basketball LeBron James also grew up idolizing Jordan but his play style in this case was totally different he was the most hyped up Prospect we've ever seen and somehow was able to live up to and even surpass those expectations ters P James whoa now it looked like he jumped out of the mezanine to dunk this ball James managed to become king of the NBA for two simple reasons the first was his all-around game being considered by most fans as the most complete player of all time the second was his spectacular ability to adapt to the everchanging game during the LeBron era the king not only had to prove his dominance but he had to adapt to one of the most changing eras in the history of the league the Advent of advanced statistics proved that traditional basketball had potential for improvement and introduced new offensive systems that were the brainchild of pioneering coaches like Mike Danton LeBron however was always able to adapt his game to the needs of the league a player who in a way helped create the concept to point forward which paved the way for new player molds like Luca donic with an incredible basketball IQ and thanks to his consistency James has controlled the tempo of games at will for more than a decade he's the most complete player he had no real weaknesses but beyond helping the NBA evolve by introducing this new kind of profile LeBron's strengths have always been more about reaction than action the perfect example of a player who did change the game completely and one that James had to survive against was Steph Curry in fact he may be the most game-changing player in history oh and now Curry gets it right back from half court and it's good a curry moment in Boston Curry became a generational player by Leading a three-point Revolution that ended up transforming the systems first offensively and then defensively of the entire NBA he changed the very idea of what was considered a good shot Steph proved that his absurd shot selection was not only efficient but also capable of turning a team into Champions his ability to shoot from anywhere on the court highlighted the value of gravity in basketball offensive systems began to be based on off ball movement and transition play he opened up the floor and spaced the game changing it forever he also inspired millions of kids to dream bigger showing you can be any size and still dominate The League his four championship rings showed that even the best defenses in the NBA weren't able to stop him this caused the change of defensive systems throughout the league a revolution whose beginning many people plac in the game where Curry superstardom was born in Madison Square Garden in 2013 and since then marks the beginning of the staff Curry era that has extended almost to the present day the game of the previous era looks totally different than the one today in the Steph Curry era the traditional basketball positions still existed Beyond odd adjustments that coaches would make during some playoff series producing odd onc Court combinations teams were still using roles that could be considered classic positions but today the leak doesn't work that way shot clock at four yic has to put it up falling away puts it up bang Thea yic knocks it down his foot was on the line a two-pointer what a shot if there is something that is rewarded more in the modern NBA besides the three-point shot its versatility both on offense and defense coaches love these multi-purpose player profiles that are capable of doing different tasks on both sides of the ball they love these kinds of players who are quick enough to be in front of a guard yet big enough to be in front of a big man now Sacramento trying to drive in there's yic that man again yic with the block shot is second tonight oh out on the pass by joic these Trends have caused an enormous amount of changes in all teams for starters the concept of the pure point guard has ceased to exist the nowall ball handlers are players who do not require spectacular Court Vision to run an offense like Devin Booker or Jamal Murray they are players who mostly use their gravity to generate advantages for their teammates and this has led to guards becoming bigger and bigger so that they are not a liability on defense when they have to switch on screens on the other hand the big men are players who have more and more skills first it was shooting with the concept of the stretch four or even stretch five who were able to free up the paint but they are also increasingly able to take on more offensive roles even Beyond outside shooting this is where we come to a new era we have officially entered the Nicola yic era I know how great Joker is he sees plays before they happen it's not many guys in our league like that but I don't think a lot of people talk about like this part of his game if there's been someone responsible for all these recent changes the first player that comes to mind is the 6'1 Serbian not only for having introduced the idea of Point Center which two decades ago would have sounded like a bad joke but for being able to prove that his unique one-of-a-kind game is the most dominant in the NBA T inside block ni has blocked the ball not today he's undeniably the best player in the league right now he makes everyone he plays with better just as there was no Steph before Steph there's been no yic before joic he's amazed fans around the world with his spectacular Court vision and convinced all the non-believers with his championship ring last season nikolic's impact on the game extends far beyond his impressive stat lines and accolades he has single-handedly shattered the mold what a traditional Center is expected to be redefining the position with a skill set that would have been unimaginable just a decade ago at 6'1 and 284 lb yic doesn't fit the Prototype of an agile athletic big man yet his court vision and passing ability are more like a point guard than a towering Center he sees the game unfold like a grandm surveying a chess board anticipating defensive rotations and finding seams in the defense with pinpoint Precision check out this jaw-dropping play against the warriors with the defense defense collapsing on him in the post jic coolly surveyed the court and fired a laser beam pass that found Monte moris yic backing in yes it was a pass that only a handful of players in the league could even fathom let alone execute with such ease and accuracy plays like these have become the norm for joic who leads the NBA and assists for a center a stat once thought to be an oxy his ability to create for others his revolutionized offensive schemes forcing teams to rethink their defensive strategies against a big man who can dissect them from the high or low post but jokic's impact goes beyond his Elite passing he's a skilled scorer with a vast array of moves in his bag capable of burying step back threes or finishing with crafty footwork around the rim his combination of size scale and basketball IQ makes him a matchup nightmare as he can exploit mismatches against smaller Defenders or uses soft touch to shoot over bigger opponents perhaps most impressive is yauch's ability to make the difficult look effortless he'll pull off a series of intricate fakes spins and pivots that would leave most players dizzy only to casually flick in a shot as if it were a mere layup line drill his unconventional style and hery jerky movements disguise the underlying Grace and Artistry with which he operates on the court the Serbian has become the Undisputed best player in the NBA Unique Style based on some European basketball profiles like Mark saw waim Noah or Vlad devant but he has taken that model and evolved Beyond it yic is the first center in the history of the league that you can't double team you can't trap him the center has the ability to sense everything that's going on around him like he has eyes in the back of his head he can anticipate and take advantage of it his dominance in addition to being crowned champion in 2023 has helped him to destroy all kinds of Records Nichola owns four of the six best individual seasons in plus minus in NBA hist history the other two belong to Michael Jordan and LeBron James his season averages are unprecedented in the history of the league his style of play would have had no place in any coach's mind 10 years ago and now he is the mold that young big men build their game around this season he can and should get his third regular season MVP even if he wins his second championship ring which would give him a better resume than hakeim aluan yonic is a center who has already made history his influence has already become a reality and that process cannot be stopped in any way Nicola yanic has already changed the game just look at the cast of centers that have come up right after him damont sabonis ala and shangu Chad holgren and Victor wanyama more and more big men with the potential to dominate The League are able to put the ball on the floor big men who can easily find an open teammate big men who have the skill set of a perimeter player the center position has been the most restricted in the history of basketball he's now proving that size is not an obstacle to be able to do anything on the court in fact from their higher point of view they can find advantages and see passing Lanes even more easily no coach would allow them to play as freely as they do if they hadn't seen it work first with yic this is unheard of traditionally it's been the perimeter players who have been able to evolve basketball forward players who have been at the Forefront tactically and who've been able to imagine new ways to dominate centers on the other hand have always had a similar role and have not been part of this evolution since this role was determined more than 50 years ago in the era of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain their functions have remained stagnant even sha one of the most influential players in NBA history only perfected the traditional role of the position with his power brute strength dominance under the boards and defense pure raw athleticism that transformed into complete dominance that forced teams across the league to have three centers in their rotation no one until Nicola yic had dared to push the limits of this role with each passing game Nicola yic continues to push the boundaries of what a center can be leaving audiences in awe and forever altering the trajectory of the big man position he is the embodiment of basketball's Evolution a singular Talent whose impact will be felt for generations to come that is why yic is a worthy owner of his own era he's worthy of being Steph Curry's successor in the Olympus of the best players in the history of the league because as I've said before to be generational you don't don't just have to dominate a decade with your game to be generational your influence has to transcend mere individual and Collective success and go deep enough to change the very game itself in an era where the three-point shot Reigns Supreme and pace and space is the norm Nicol yic stands apart he's an anomaly a skyscraper adid a landscape of floor spacing Shooters and athletic Wings yet it is precisely this unconventionality that makes him Transcendent a basketball savant whose genius cannot be contained by the traditional boundaries of his position he has challenged our preconceived notions of what a center could be with each mesmerizing pass each spinning post move and each Impossible Game Winner they have one timeout left too 16 116 10 seconds to go two man game got to go Jamal Murray to yic yic backs up for the win yes the Y buries it oh my God he breaks our idea of what's possible yic is the embodiment of basketball's Evolution as the NBA enters this Brave New Era of position basketball one thing is certain Nicola yic will be the shining example that many will try to follow he's already changed the game inspiring a new breed of big men who possess the skill and vision to orchestrate offenses from the interior and in doing so he has ensured that the center position once thought to be Dying Breed will live on in a reimagined form so Props to the Joker the mad scientist of the modern NBA he's changed the game forever with his magic skill and unpredictability we have officially entered the nikolic era

Channel: Shooters Touch

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Length: 19min 45sec (1185 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 11 2024