DENVER — A lot of the talk in the NBA this week was about the notion that the back-to-back MVP, Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, has been padding his stats to help himself average a triple double: 10 or more points, rebounds and assists per game.
ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins was the one who said that. I respect Perk as a former player and love him on tv, but it wasn’t the best thing he’s ever said.
Joker could care less about stats and anyone who covers him, watches him, and is a fan of him, knows this. He wants to win games, get the heck out of the U.S., and go ride his horses in Serbia. That’s why it’s that much more amazing that he is sixth on the all-time triple doubles list.
Nuggets Head Coach Michael Malone weighed in, “Maybe they’re just tired of this player---a non-athletic player from Sombor, Serbia---who continues to kick everybody's [behind].”
Nikola has told us multiple times he wants to be the Tim Duncan of the Denver Nuggets. Did the Spurs great ever stat pad? Or did he just quietly win five championships and become one of the greatest big men of all-time?
If the Nuggets fail to win a title this season, and Nikola has trouble winning one or multiple throughout his career, the media can criticize him for that.
But don’t say he’s padding his stats. That's silly.
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