From Tim Duncan to Kevin Garnett and Steph Curry, LeBron James’ 21-year NBA career has featured postseason matchups against some of the best to ever do it. For the Lakers forward, Nikola Jokic is right there among them.
“He’s one of the best players to ever play this game. It’s that simple,” James said after practice on Friday at Ball Arena.
James said he feels healthier than last year when Los Angeles got swept by the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. And that’s essential when trying to match Jokic’s physicality for 40 minutes on the court.
James, a four-time MVP and the league’s all-time scorer, called Jokic a “damn good” basketball player that can do everything on the floor. But what stands out to Bron the most is how Jokic makes the players around him better.
“He changes the way his teammates think about their own play,” James said. “When you are able to inspire your teammates at a level that they don’t feel like they can play at, that’s a true testament.”
The Lakers understand they have to be mindful of Jokic’s ability to score around the rim and effortlessly find teammates for buckets. James is also mindful of Jokic’s pedal-to-the-medal energy in transition, an element that might be overlooked in his game.
“He has a great motor,” James said. “We know that. The players that play against him know that. That’s just a horrible narrative.”
Defending Jokic is not as simple as having Lakers forward Anthony Davis guard him for an entire game. By doing so, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said they would risk Davis getting into foul trouble. They have to wait for the right moment to throw one of the league’s best defenders on the two-time MVP.
Ham added that Jokic is good at developing a rhythm for whatever defensive scheme an opponent utilizes, which means his team has to throw multiple looks at him.
“It’s only a matter of time before he figures things out,” Ham said. “He and (Nuggets guard) Jamal (Murray). You just want to change up your pitches. Sometimes that not only includes your coverages but matchups are involved in all of that too.”
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Davis said defending Jokic requires balance. He mentioned that the team has scenarios in place for when it’s time to trap Jokic in a double-team or guard him one-on-one.
Davis knows Jokic is good at crashing the glass for defensive rebounds and quickly pushing the ball down the floor, which forces him to have to make the decision as to whether to go after the offensive board or just get back on defense to slow down the Nuggets star in transition.
“If I’m in the vicinity, I’ll crash (the glass) to give my team an extra possession. But it’s tough,” Davis said. “If I’m in a position where I think I can get (a rebound) and I don’t, someone is going to have to pick (Jokic) off.
“It’s not going to be perfect and you’re not going to be able to get to your man every time in transition, especially the way they play with Jokic pushing the ball.”
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