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In the weeks following Michael Malone's late-season firing from the Denver Nuggets, we've seen glimpses of Nikola Jokić clearly taking on a more vocal player-coaching role with his teammates. Interim head coach David Adelman's steady approach to asking Nuggets players to take more of a personal responsibility for their play has likely resonated with the three-time MVP the most of all. At the same time, guys like Jamal Murray — perhaps the heart of these Nuggets — have stepped up accordingly when they've had to.
However, we weren't sure whether Jokić actually enjoyed being more vocal while finally using his superstar influence. It could've purely been out of a begrudging necessity rather than Jokić really wanting to do more for Denver. He already did so much for the Nuggets. Now he had to talk more, too? That's a lot to ask.
We now have clear confirmation about this enjoyable step up for the Serbian center.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Jokić has relished pushing his Nuggets teammates more while actively helping them on the court. If anything, it sounds like Malone's firing — who was a big personality — inspired Jokić to be more demonstrative rather than simply be the lead-by-example player that his reputation says he is. Charania outlined this change in Jokić's comfort level in speaking up with his Nuggets teammates in a Thursday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
Needless to say, this is a huge deal for an all-time great who, for most of his already illustrious career, has preferred to let his play do almost all of the leading. But not anymore:
All of this tracks with Jokić's natural evolution as a player.
With 10 years in the NBA under his belt, he already understands so much about the game. He has probably forgotten more about high-level basketball than most of us even know. It would make perfect sense for Jokić to start sharing his knowledge with the other Nuggets, helping the team play better and more cohesively. He just needed inspiration, or rather, a vacuum of specific hands-on coaching leadership like Malone, to do so.
If this is the version of Jokić we're getting moving forward, the superstar who knows his superstar abilities can be so valuable without being overbearing or egotistical, then the Nuggets may have just become that much more dangerous.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Nikola Jokić is finally acting like a superstar after Nuggets coaching changes
Continue reading...
However, we weren't sure whether Jokić actually enjoyed being more vocal while finally using his superstar influence. It could've purely been out of a begrudging necessity rather than Jokić really wanting to do more for Denver. He already did so much for the Nuggets. Now he had to talk more, too? That's a lot to ask.
We now have clear confirmation about this enjoyable step up for the Serbian center.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Jokić has relished pushing his Nuggets teammates more while actively helping them on the court. If anything, it sounds like Malone's firing — who was a big personality — inspired Jokić to be more demonstrative rather than simply be the lead-by-example player that his reputation says he is. Charania outlined this change in Jokić's comfort level in speaking up with his Nuggets teammates in a Thursday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
Needless to say, this is a huge deal for an all-time great who, for most of his already illustrious career, has preferred to let his play do almost all of the leading. But not anymore:
All of this tracks with Jokić's natural evolution as a player.
With 10 years in the NBA under his belt, he already understands so much about the game. He has probably forgotten more about high-level basketball than most of us even know. It would make perfect sense for Jokić to start sharing his knowledge with the other Nuggets, helping the team play better and more cohesively. He just needed inspiration, or rather, a vacuum of specific hands-on coaching leadership like Malone, to do so.
If this is the version of Jokić we're getting moving forward, the superstar who knows his superstar abilities can be so valuable without being overbearing or egotistical, then the Nuggets may have just become that much more dangerous.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Nikola Jokić is finally acting like a superstar after Nuggets coaching changes
Continue reading...
