Nikola Jokic has been the target of harsh criticism regarding his defense, or alleged lack thereof. It seems Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has had enough, prompting him to retaliate with his own response.
As it stands, the Nuggets are second in the Western Conference with a 45-20 record. They exceeded the Minnesota Timberwolvesand are just one win behind the Oklahoma City Thunder in the standings.
Denver’s offense this season is ranked seventh in the entire NBA. With an animator in Jokicnot to mention a reliable scorer in his own right, it makes sense for the Nuggets to rise as one of the most exciting teams when it comes to offense.
On defense, however, Denver is currently ranked 11th out of 30 teams in the league. While it’s not bad technically, there are 10 other teams better than the Nuggets in this department. Even if that is the case, the criticism surrounding Jokic is seen by some as a reason for their 11th place defense.
Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone explains why Nikola Jokic is an underrated defender in the NBA
Having heard enough, Malone expressed his opinion on Jokic’s defense. In an article from Matt Brooks on X:
Michael Malone on Jokić: “People criticize Nikola’s defense because he doesn’t average three blocks per game. But if you’re truly a basketball purist and you watch the game, you see he has some of the best hands in the NBA, bar none.
“One of the most underrated defenders in the entire NBA,” Malone said.
As it stands, Jokic leads the NBA in defensive plus/minus rating with a rating of 4.4. With averages of 26.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 1.3 steals and nearly a block per game, it’s hard to argue with the Joker’s impact on that end of the court.
It makes sense to abandon any criticism of the Joker’s defense, with Malone and the numbers backing him up. Either way, the upcoming playoffs will certainly shed more light on this part of the game. Jokic’s game.
