Nikola Jokic’s ‘Unserious’ Persona Exposed, As Nuggets Teammate Warns the NBA: “Can Drop 35-40 At Will”

The late American actor Will Rogers once said: “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” This saying can be applied in all walks of life, especially in the NBA, where a rookie’s performance can mean the difference between how he is perceived by his teammates and rivals in the future. Nikola Jokic ended up being part of an opposite scenario, as his “not serious” Will Rogers’ personality confused the player. However, by putting Will Rogers’ belief aside, the player gave the Serbian a second chance and did not regret it.

Michael Porter Jr. spoke about his journey to the NBA. Given that the rookie was following players his age and prioritizing college and high school games over league play, he wasn’t very familiar with Nikola Jokic when he arrived. However, he was intrigued to watch the Serbian during the 2018/19 season. Nuggets training camp after hearing all the praise. Unfortunately, someone should have warned him in advance what to expect during the training sessions!

“To be honest, in camp, if you know Nikola, he takes things a lot more seriously now than he did then, and he doesn’t really take training seriously.” Porter Jr. said on NBA Ringtone. “It’s not like he was trying to dominate in practice, so Mason Plumlee kind of quietly got the better of him in camp. I was like, ‘Wait, all my teammates say Nikola can go down to 35-40 at will if he wanted to.’ So I just had to wait until the season, and then I saw it.”

For someone who has won 3 MVPs and a championship, while averaging over 26 points, 12.2 rebounds and 8.7 assists over 4 seasons, you would expect him to take workouts as seriously as he does NBA games. After all, if NBA legends like LeBron James And Kobe Bryant What we learned the most is that practice makes perfect. However, longtime Nikola Jokic fans have encountered several instances where he wasn’t very enthusiastic about working out.

In October 2023, The player went viral for apparently unrelated reasons reconnaissance horses on his phone while the rest of the squad was practicing. A few weeks before that, during a joint press conference with his Nuggets teammate Jamal Murray, the then 28-year-old had responded “Sometimes, not many” When asked if he touched a basketball this offseason, Murray hilariously added: “No, he didn’t.”

But don’t let these examples cast doubt on the Serbian’s mentality that takes basketball seriously. Amid all the revelations from Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray, as well as Jokic’s own statements that he drank “6 beers a day” During the off-season, the Serb trains well when the situation demands it.

Did Nikola Jokic spend all day in the training room before hitting an iconic hat trick against the Lakers?

The first days of the 2023-24 NBA season saw the Nuggets face the LakersAll five Nuggets starters scored at least ten points, easily beating LeBron James and co. 119-107. However, the MVP of the night was Nikola Jokic, who had a triple-double with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.

In a post-match interview on Within the NBA, Kenny Smith asked the Serbian what efforts contributed to that impressive late-season performance. Jokic revealed: “I was in the weight room pretty much every day. I was just skipping Sundays. I was getting my body ready for the season. Our body is our tool. So if your body isn’t ready, something’s going to happen. You’re going to get injured. I didn’t skip any days in the weight room, maybe a little bit on the field. A few days, or a month, or two months.”

Every player has their own idea of ​​what to focus on during practice. Despite claims that Jokic doesn’t perform well during practice, his off-court training prepares him enough to dominate, which he has done since arriving in the NBA.

Any ideas? Let us know in the comments below.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out this cross between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.