He gathered his team together and called them out, extending the standard he sets for himself to the rest of his team. Preparing to face one of the league’s cellar dwellers, Jokic saw an apathetic attitude that warranted a response. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) “He’s being a leader”īefore a game in Houston this season, Jokic noticed something in the lackadaisical way his team was warming up. Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets shoots over Jarred Vanderbilt (2) of the Los Angeles Lakers during the first quarter in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Ball Arena in Denver on Thursday, May 18, 2023. “He doesn’t really want to ruffle feathers or use his superstar status,” Jordan said. “I think that’s the worst job on the planet, for sure.”īefore Jokic became at ease grabbing the whiteboard during timeouts or demanding accountability, he first had to overcome his own hesitation to raise his voice and disrupt the established hierarchy. “I don’t want to be a coach,” he said after Game 3. Jokic would prefer to leave the politicking to someone else. He often delineates a clear church and state separation between himself and the Nuggets’ front office. Privately, Jokic doesn’t like offering his opinion on trade candidates or potential free-agent signings despite his status within the organization. The other is his preference not to elevate himself above his teammates. You’re not going to like it, but when you’re done, you’re like, ‘Alright, glad I got that over with.’” “It’s like somebody telling you to read out front of the classroom. The obstacles in getting Jokic to speak more were two-fold. It was an extension of the trust built up over dozens of dinners and team outings throughout the season. In the meantime, Green said he was happy to speak for Jokic if he wanted. “I just observed, I saw how he was,” Green said. Anyone who thinks Jokic lacks personality or doesn’t have the confidence to command a news conference, locker room or huddle hasn’t been paying attention. Jokic, somewhat masterfully, has managed to find the sweet spot of goofy, irreverent English, laced with a tinge of dry sarcasm. There’s an art, he said, to meeting his teammates where they’re at, with the language, nuance and culture of an NBA locker room. Over the course of his career, Green’s played with teammates from Brazil, Serbia, France and Spain, to name a few. “… I didn’t force him to talk, but I forced him to give me his opinion instead of just being like, ‘Joker talk, Joker talk.’ It’s about just having that simple communication of ‘What do you think? What would you like to see? Where do you want me at?’” Expressing themselves, trying to get their point across, sometimes can be difficult. “I think first and foremost, people have to understand the cultural and language barrier that guys that’s coming from European countries, overseas, that they have to deal with. So how did the longtime veterans go about extracting those pearls of wisdom? “I always compare that to a guy like Tim Duncan.” “Nikola has a lead-by-example kind of voice,” Jordan said. Instead, it was mostly a product of being a good teammate. It wasn’t as if Green and Jordan, two loud personalities who pride themselves on meshing with anyone, concocted a plan to get Denver’s most gifted player to share his insights. There was no grand design for getting Jokic to speak up. The humble, respectful, down-to-earth guy he is.” “That helped me understand who he is as a person. “I played with all-time greats,” said Green, who counts among his former teammates LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kevin Garnett. In that moment, Green said he more clearly saw the essence of Jokic. “‘Man, I really don’t care,” Jokic replied. Green hit Jokic with a question the rest of the NBA couldn’t stop asking. It was just the two of them, an aging veteran trying to squeeze a few more years out of his career and a once-in-a-generation player firmly in his prime. Late last season, on a road trip in Indiana, Green and Jokic settled in for dinner. “(DeAndre Jordan), but I hate him,” Jokic deadpanned. Asked if anyone encouraged the type of vocal leadership Jokic levied, the two-time MVP turned serious. Nuggets’ “D” dominates Nets as Nikola Jokic makes more triple-double history Digital Replica Edition Home Page Close Menu
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