The screen should’ve created a mismatch, a blockade designed to steer Fred VanVleet toward Nikola Jokic, Denver’s plodding two-time MVP.
Instead, as the Raptors tried to withstand Denver’s mounting fourth-quarter comeback on Monday night, the play backfired. With 1:15 left and the Raptors clinging to a 111-110 lead, VanVleet drove downhill at Jokic, seemingly exploiting the space Jakob Poeltl’s screen had created. Jokic got his paws into VanVleet’s window and jostled the ball away from Toronto’s deft point guard.
In the aftermath of that turnover, officially deemed a block, Denver closed on an 8-2 run before winning 118-113 for its fourth consecutive win. Over the final 2:03, Denver’s run was even more pronounced at 13-2.
“Sometimes I feel like Johnnie Cochran, like I’m (Jokic’s) defense attorney,” an exasperated Nuggets coach Michael Malone said after his team improved to 46-19 on the season. “I’m just gonna let Nikola’s play speak for itself, let his greatness speak for itself.
“He’s a good defender,” Malone said, disputing the most common refrain used by critics when assessing Jokic’s value. “You do not have to be a great athlete to be a good defender.”
What Jokic lacks in traditional athleticism he makes up for in positioning, awareness, and intelligence. If there’s a loophole — see his kicked ball violations — he’ll find it.
When Jokic is on the court, the Nuggets own a 110.6 defensive rating. When he’s off the court, that number jumps to 113.7. That’s the equivalent of the fourth-ranked defense in the NBA compared to the 19th-ranked one.
Two possessions later, the game still very much in the balance, the Raptors targeted Jokic again with another screen engineered to create an advantage. As Scottie Barnes drove on Jokic, Denver’s center nudged the ball out of his hands but was whistled for a foul. Malone challenged the call and won.
“He got all ball,” said Malone, who later awarded Jokic the Defensive Player of the Game chain.
It’s Jokic’s hand-eye coordination, coupled with his anticipation, that makes him an impact defender, according to Malone. Last season, Jokic’s game-winning block on Toronto’s OG Anunoby underscored his timing. Not to mention, you don’t achieve an NBA-best plus-590, as Jokic was after Monday night, if you’re a defensive liability.
Monday’s effort — which saw the Nuggets outscore Toronto 35-25 in the fourth quarter and outrebound them 13-4 over that span — was another example of Denver’s stifling defense when it mattered.
In clutch time, defined as a game within five points over the final five minutes of the game, the Nuggets own the No. 1 rated defense in the NBA. Their defensive rating of 92.7 is significantly better than Philadelphia’s (No. 2) and makes Denver a nightmare in close games considering their offensive rating during clutch moments ranks No. 3 in the league.
Jamal Murray has seen firsthand the impact Jokic has as a ball-stopper.
“He’s a smart defender,” Murray said. “He knows tendencies. He has great hands, and he forces (opponents) to make a contested shot. He’s gonna get beat sometimes, obviously, like everybody does in this league, but for the most part, he plays the angles well and knows how to play cat-and-mouse in the paint. I think he’s underrated, with his hands, the deflections, tips and rebounds. … I don’t think he gets enough credit for that.”
Asked whether he found it funny that Jokic’s defense was a consistent talking point when critiquing the reigning two-time MVP, Murray was dismissive of the premise.
“They’re just going off visuals,” Murray said. “They don’t really know basketball or watch basketball.”
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Nuggets teammates come to Nikola Jokic’s defense: “He’s a smart defender” - The Denver Post
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