If there was any shred of doubt about who’s the most impactful player in the world, everyone can now rest at night knowing we’ve landed on the correct answer. That uncertainty is gone. It has been eradicated, and the imaginary honor should no longer be up for debate — for at least the next calendar year.
Of course, it’s silly to care about such a thing.
In June 2019, I surrendered to the notion that “Best Player in Sport X” is something that can shift pretty frequently. That 2018-19 season was, to me, the most interesting we’ve had in the context of this argument. LeBron James entered that year with the individual crown despite being swept in the Finals. He had just hauled a disgusting Cavaliers supporting cast to 12 playoff wins, dragging a group of defensively inept role players through the Eastern Conference only to run into a Bay Area buzzsaw.
When he joined the Lakers and started dealing with injuries, James had to give up the baton to others who were thriving. In my view, Stephen Curry had the most impactful per-minute production in 2019 and took that recognition from LeBron. But in the midst of that April-June 2019 playoff run, Kawhi Leonard elevated to the top and stole the show.
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From there, we’ve seen Giannis Antetokounmpo earn that distinction from the 2021 postseason to now. His physical nature and two-way dominance was — and still is — difficult to argue against. He makes teams feel his wrath on every possession, with the only way to limit him being to sell out your defense, throw extra bodies his way, and pray that he turns it over or his teammates miss open jumpers.
For the last two or three years, Giannis was widely considered the top dog.
Now, with the state of the Milwaukee Bucks up in the air and the Denver Nuggets sitting three wins shy of an NBA Finals berth, the offensive brilliance from Nikola Jokić has lifted him to the King’s chair.
I can already hear it now. “He was already there if you paid attention the last two years! He’s always been HIM in the playoffs, clown!”
Nobody that attentively watches basketball — and certainly not me, who’s been praising the Joker since the early days — would ever suggest he’s been a subpar playoff performer.
But to earn the crown and become the unassailable best player in the sport … you need to have THE run.
That’s all we were waiting on. THE magical run.
Jokić has planted his feet and made it clear. This is it.
Through 12 playoff games, the Nuggets are 9-3 while Jokić is averaging 31.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 10.1 assists per game. He’s shooting 57% from two, 51% on threes (43 total attempts), and nearly 80% at the foul line. Denver is +102 with him on the floor, and they are a 50-40-80 efficiency team when he’s in the game.
You might need to read that paragraph again to fully digest what this phenom is doing.
More than any other superstar in the league, Jokić has the ability to create environments in which there’s no path to shutting him down, or stalling his team’s offense. There might be clunky moments for a span of five minutes (see: Denver in the fourth quarter of Game 1), but as I’ve mentioned a few times before, the great ones always find timely counters. The legendary talents are never cornered or rattled for long.
About 90% of the time, the historical greats will always solve the equation when it matters. And in the 10% of instances they don’t, they will come back the following year with such ferocity and preparation that it won’t even be a problem they’re worried about.
Jokić, in this playoff run, is proving he has the answers to every test. You can’t stump him. He’s solved every riddle thrown his way after 12 games, and it’s the prime reason Denver looks unbeatable at home.
Jokic’s Game 1 performance versus the Lakers was one for the ages. At halftime, his line of 19 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks had only been achieved by 20 other players in playoff history — in a full game. It was Jokic’s fourth time hitting those marks in a playoff game, tying him with Shaquille O’Neal for the second-most in history. AND THERE WAS STILL ANOTHER HALF TO PLAY.
When he finished the night with 34 points, 21 rebounds, and 14 assists, it felt like you just got done playing a quick game of NBA 2K on rookie difficulty (or, when you play against a little brother or cousin that hasn’t figured out which buttons to press). Considering it also came on 82.8% true shooting, you would never guess he was matched against the most dominant defender in the league in Anthony Davis. It actually gave Jokić the same number of playoff games as Kobe Bryant with at least 30 points on 70% or better. With one more, he’ll break into the top 10 of that career list.
It doesn’t matter what the stakes are — he’s going to show up. The way he enters a playoff game and casually puts up a 30-point triple double like it’s some random Tuesday in January against the Hornets is the funniest part.
He makes it look normal. But his normal is already such a ridiculously high bar.