Mike Malone wants you to know that Nikola Jokic has officially arrived.
After Jokic posted a career-high 40 points to go along with nine rebounds and five assists in a 131-123 win over the New York Knicks on Friday, the Denver Nuggets head coach said that it was time to let the cat out of the bag.
“We’re ready to proclaim that Nikola Jokić is a star.”
– Coach Malone #Nuggets pic.twitter.com/iFITQv816S
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) February 11, 2017
The 21-year-old Jokic is now averaging 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game on the season. That includes 22.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game since the calendar turned to 2017.
Playing on a small-market Denver team and having been selected with little fanfare in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft, Jokic doesn’t get nearly the same recognition as some of his contemporary big men (e.g. Joel Embiid, Kristaps Porzingis, Karl-Anthony Towns, etc.). But with his versatile scoring and his flair for fancy passes, the Serbian is just as gifted offensively as any and every one of them. For Malone, who has always had quite an interesting relationship with Jokic, he wants to make sure we’re all well aware of that.
