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Nikola Jokic redefining the center position in basketball
Nikola Jokic (15) is doing things never seen before by an NBA center. These efforts are re-defining the center position. (Courtesy: Denver Nuggets; nuggets/Instagram)

Nikola Jokic redefining the center position in basketball

DENVER (BVM) — As long as the sport of basketball has been around, the center position has been a necessity for successful teams. By hanging around the paint, racking up rebounds, blocking shots, and scoring an occasional basket here and there, the traditional role of the center was unique and irreplaceable. 

The center position is changing, though, because of Nikola Jokic. Jokic has been doing things never seen before by traditional centers and is giving many players and coaches in the NBA a pause when they try to figure out how to stop him. 

When first looking at Jokic, there are not many signs that point to him being a player who is re-defining his position without seeing him play. He weighs in at 250 pounds and is 7 feet tall. While this may sound impressive, it is just about average for the center position in the NBA. 

For the 2020 NBA season, the average height for a center was 6-foot-10 with an average weight of around 248 pounds, around the same height and weight as Jokic. 

So, if Jokic isn’t abnormally large for his position, what makes him so unique? That would be his unadulterated talent. Unlike centers of old whose jobs were to rebound and block shots, Jokic’s job is more similar to that of a point guard. Jokic is responsible for reading defenses and calling corresponding plays on the floor while having the ball run through his hands on the offensive side. 

Jokic’s offensive role is especially challenging for opposing teams when they consider how to cover him. If the opposing team puts their center on him, Jokic will hang back around the 3-point line and start draining threes like a shooting guard. If the opposing team puts a more undersized guard on Jokic to cover the 3-point line, he will take the ball down into the paint where the guards cannot guard him and score continuous points in the paint. This makes Jokic, a big man that can do anything on the floor, the definition of a matchup nightmare.

If that all seems like a lot, it is, but that’s only the offensive side of the ball. Jokic is even more of a nightmare on defense. This is because of his traditional sizing for a center; he can sit in the paint and guard the other team’s big men (centers), block shots and rebound, as well as even pop out to the 3-point area and defend the other team’s smaller guards if needed. 

And if that all wasn’t enough, Jokic is also one of the best passers in the NBA. He can read defenses and create fantastic offensive opportunities out of seemingly nothing. He is almost like a quarterback for an NFL offense; if there is the slightest window to fit the ball in, he will. Jokic can also make astonishing across-the-court passes, throwing a one-handed hail mary-esk pass that sets up some great offensive opportunities. 

Jokic’s impact on the Denver Nuggets cannot be questioned, especially in the 2021 NBA season. For the regular season, Jokic averaged career highs in almost all categories. He scored 26.4 points per game, 10.8 rebounds per game, 8.3 assists per game, a 56.6 percent field goal percentage, and an 86.8 percent free-throw percentage, all of which was done while not missing a single regular-season game, playing all 72.  

These are all ridiculous numbers to be put up by a center in the NBA, and there are very few centers currently in the NBA who even compare to Jokic. Players and teams throughout the NBA are beginning to recognize this fact. At the moment, Jokic is the favorite to win the MVP. According to FanDuel Sportsbook’s NBA MVP odds, Jokic sits at first place with -6000 odds to win, with only Steph Curry and Joel Embid behind him with +2400 and +2700 odds, respectively. This leads many to speculate that Jokic will be the NBA MVP. 

If Jokic were to become the NBA MVP, this would be another historic feat in the NBA. Jokic would become one of only three other international players (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dirk Nowitzki, and Steve Nash) to win the NBA MVP award since 2000. Moreover, a Jokic MVP would also make him the lowest-drafted player (second round, pick 41) in NBA history to win the MVP. 

It is mind-blowing to think that at only 26 years old, Nikola Jokic is posting the numbers he is posting and doing the things he is doing. It has caused many to speculate what his next six years in the league will look like, considering everything he has already done in his first six years. If he is already considered as one of the best players in the NBA right now, could he possibly go down as one of the best NBA players of all time? At the moment, all signs are pointing to yes.