Dwight Howard breaks down why he was profitable towards Nicola Jokic as a defender and believes he can nonetheless present that in trendy NBA video games.
Denver’s Nuggets’ Nicola Zhokic seems to be taking the crown of the most effective basketball gamers of the 2020s in a complete method. Even when he loses this yr’s MVP battle with Gilgauss Alexander, Jokic has confirmed for the final decade that he’s undoubtedly in his personal league as an offensive expertise.
Jokic has dominated in competitions with all the most effective defenders of the fashionable period, from Giannis Antetokounmpo to the brand new Younger Phenom Victor Wembanyama. Even after three MVP wins, Jokic remains to be bucking voter fatigue within the MVP race by unlocking a brand new path within the recreation.
Earlier than his improvement into an unstoppable 7-foot supercomputer, some gamers gave Jokic a battle. One among these gamers is the three-time defensive participant of Dwight Howard of the Yr of the Yr of the Yr, who was on the finish of his profession when he achieved private success towards Jokic.
Howard shares the blueprint and believes he can do it towards Jokic in 2025.
Dwight Howard not too long ago appeared on Kevin Garnett’s “KG Licensed” present. There he broke the way in which he stopped Jokic in a battle a number of years in the past.
“It was all a message. All of the little issues. I wasn’t attempting to make it loud.
“Within the bubble, all of us had our personal eating room. I went to him whereas he was there. Even after the sport we have been in a position to develop into ‘I am right here’. ”
“Yeah, there is no doubt in my thoughts. It is not that he is a foul participant. Folks assume I hate him. I am not stumbling over him. He is a terrific, nice participant.
“What he is doing in courtroom is loopy. I really feel such as you want somebody to suit that power. And if I am there, every part he is doing, I will match it… he is not Finna getting me all these rebounds.”
It’s a daring declaration by Howard. The truth that he believes he can nonetheless do it regardless of being out of the NBA for the previous three seasons is daring.
He was giving him extra when he stopped taking his NBA contract, but it surely’s laborious to think about Jokic can do sufficient to restrict his common of 29.0 factors, 12.9 rebounds and 10.4 assists to this season.
There are some fact to the declare that Howard has all the time been profitable in his career-related matchups with Nicola Jokic. Jokic was drafted in 2014, however Howard made a terrific efficiency towards Jokic till the tip of his profession after profitable the Prime season as a defensive participant of the yr.
Jokic averaged 16.8 factors, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 13 video games towards Howard. His numbers aren’t as flashy as we see them, however he has a constructive 8-5 report. This contains early jokick matchups, even in locations the place his manufacturing is clearly low.
Their solely playoff matchup passed off on the 2020 Western Convention Finals. Howard stored Jokic to 21.8 factors, 7.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists within the Lakers’ 4-1 sequence victory.
Jokic solely had one recreation over 30 factors towards Howard within the last matchup in 2022. We consider that Jokic on the event trajectory will happen, and that Howard’s downgrade capacity might make the ultimate recreation a development sooner or later.
