Nikola Jokic is getting way too much hype, and it’s time we pump the brakes on calling him an all-time great. Look, I get it—his stat lines are eye-popping. Those triple-doubles he’s been piling up make him look like a basketball unicorn, a center who can do it all: score, rebound, and dish out assists like a point guard. But let’s dig into what’s really going on here. Jokic is a master at padding his stats, chasing those numbers to make himself look better than he actually is on the court. Against the Thunder last night, he posted another gaudy triple-double, but when the game was on the line in the fourth quarter, he wasn’t the one making the big plays—his teammates were. They bailed him out, plain and simple, and it’s a pattern we’ve seen too often to ignore. If you’re supposed to be a superstar, you can’t keep leaning on others to close out games while you rack up stats in the first three quarters.
Then there’s the way he gets his points, and frankly, it’s frustrating to watch. Jokic foul-baits more than almost anyone in the league—more than SGA, more than Luka, and that’s saying something. He’s perfected the art of flopping, using his size to draw cheap calls and get to the free-throw line. It’s not skill; it’s a gimmick. Compare that to someone like SGA, whose game is pure artistry. SGA’s handles, his mid-range game, his ability to break down defenders—it’s a level of skill that’s leagues ahead of Jokic. I’d argue SGA’s overall game is ten times more polished, and he doesn’t need to game the refs to put up numbers. Jokic’s reliance on foul calls inflates his scoring, making his stat lines look more impressive than his actual impact on the floor. If we’re talking about true basketball skill, Jokic isn’t in the same conversation as some of the league’s other stars.
And don’t even get me started on the chatter about Jokic being a top-five center or top-ten player of all time—that’s just absurd. His resume doesn’t come close to justifying that kind of talk. Sure, he’s got a couple of MVPs and a ring, but let’s be real: the all-time greats dominated their eras in a way Jokic never has. He’s not transforming the game or carrying his team through sheer force of will. Last night’s game against the Thunder is the perfect example—he put up numbers, but he didn’t take over when it mattered most. The legends we put in the top tier didn’t just fill up the box score; they defined their teams’ success with their play. Jokic is a really good player, no doubt, but he’s not the generational talent some are making him out to be. Until he starts showing up in the clutch and stops relying on foul calls to boost his stats, he’s nowhere near the all-time greats—and we need to stop pretending otherwise.
