Dwight Howard broke down why he had success in opposition to Nikola Jokic as a defender and believes he might nonetheless present that in a contemporary NBA sport.
It looks as if Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets is comprehensively taking the crown of the most effective basketball participant of the 2020s. Even when he loses this yr’s MVP battle to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic has confirmed for this complete decade that he’s arguably in a league of his personal as an offensive expertise.
Jokic has dominated in contests in opposition to all of the premier defenders of the fashionable period, from Giannis Antetokounmpo to even the brand new younger phenom Victor Wembanyama. Even after three MVP wins, Jokic continues defying voter fatigue within the MVP race by unlocking new avenues of his sport.
Previous to his growth into an unstoppable seven-foot supercomputer, some gamers gave Jokic a battle. One in all these gamers is three-time Defensive Participant of the 12 months Dwight Howard, who was on the finish of his profession when he had particular person success in opposition to Jokic.
Howard has shared the blueprint, and he nonetheless believes he can execute it in opposition to Jokic in 2025.
Dwight Howard lately appeared on Kevin Garnett’s ‘KG Licensed’ present, the place he broke down how he stopped Jokic throughout their battles years in the past and that he might nonetheless do it in 2025.
“The whole lot was a message. Each little factor. I wasn’t making an attempt to be boisterous with it or speak s___ however, I needed him to see that each time he regarded up, I used to be proper there.
“Within the bubble, all of us had our personal meal rooms. I went to his whereas he was in there simply to peek my head in and say what’s as much as all people. Even after the video games, simply so I might be like, ‘I’m right here.’”
“Hell yeah, there’s little doubt in my thoughts. It isn’t that he’s a nasty participant. Individuals suppose I be hating on him. I’m not tripping on him. He’s an incredible, superior participant.
“The stuff he’s doing on the court docket is loopy. I simply really feel such as you gotta have somebody to match that power. And, if I’m on the market, the whole lot he’s doing, I’mma match it… He ain’t finna get all these rebounds on me.”
That’s a daring proclamation by Howard. The truth that he believes he might nonetheless do it regardless of being out of the NBA for the final three seasons is daring.
Whereas he had extra to offer on the time he stopped getting NBA contracts, it’s laborious to think about he can do sufficient to restrict Jokic now when Jokic is averaging 29.0 factors, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.4 assists this season.
There may be some fact to the assertions that Howard has at all times been profitable in matchups in opposition to Nikola Jokic over his profession. Whereas Jokic was drafted in 2014, after Howard had his prime seasons as a perennial Defensive Participant of the 12 months winner, he had nice performances in opposition to Jokic until the tail-end of his profession.
Jokic has averaged 16.8 factors, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 13 video games in opposition to Howard. He has a optimistic 8-5 file, though his numbers aren’t as gaudy as we’ve come to see. This does embody early-career Jokic matchups as effectively the place his manufacturing was understandably decrease.
Their sole Playoff matchup got here within the 2020 Western Convention Finals, the place Howard held Jokic to 21.8 factors, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in a 4-1 collection win for the Lakers.
Jokic has solely had one sport with over 30 factors in opposition to Howard – of their last matchup in 2022. The event trajectory Jokic was on and Howard’s declining skills make me consider that the ultimate sport might’ve change into a development going ahead.
