Throughout his 21-year NBA career, LeBron James has faced some of the best players in the postseason, including Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and Steph Curry. For him, Nikola Jokic is among these top players.
After a practice session at Ball Arena on Friday, James stated that Jokic is one of the greatest players to have ever played basketball.
Compared to last year when the Lakers were swept by the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, James feels healthier. This is important when competing with Jokic's physicality for 40 minutes on the court.
James, a four-time MVP and the highest scorer in league history, described Jokic as an excellent basketball player who can do everything on the court. What impresses James the most is Jokic's ability to elevate his teammates' games.
James mentioned that Jokic influences his teammates' mindset about their own performance. Inspiring teammates to reach higher levels of play is a true sign of greatness, according to James.
The Lakers recognize the need to be cautious of Jokic's scoring skills around the rim and his effortless assists to teammates. James also acknowledges Jokic's high energy in transition, which might be underestimated in his game.
James stated that Jokic has a great motor, and it's known by the players who compete against him. James views the negative narrative about this aspect as incorrect.
Defending Jokic is not as simple as assigning Lakers forward Anthony Davis to guard him for an entire game. Doing so might lead to Davis getting into foul trouble, according to Lakers head coach Darvin Ham. They have to wait for the right moment to use one of the league’s best defenders against the two-time MVP.
Ham added that Jokic is adept at adapting to different defensive schemes, so the team must present him with multiple defensive looks.
According to Ham, it's only a matter of time before Jokic figures out the opponent's strategies. He emphasized the need to vary defensive coverages and matchups to keep Jokic guessing.
Davis mentioned that defending Jokic requires a balanced approach. The team has specific plans for trapping Jokic in a double team or guarding him one-on-one.
Davis understands that Jokic excels at grabbing defensive rebounds and quickly moving the ball down the court, forcing him to decide whether to pursue the offensive board or return to defense to slow down the Nuggets star in transition.
Davis explained that he will attempt to grab the rebound if he is nearby, but it's challenging. If he misses, someone else will need to cover Jokic. Additionally, he highlighted the difficulty of getting back to guard his opponent in transition, especially given Jokic's quick ball movement.
He acknowledged the difficulty of consistently getting back to guard his opponent in transition, particularly due to Jokic's rapid ball movement.
