Dame & CJ aren't the focus of this thread. Nurkic and Jokic are. We're comparing those two. The fact that Nurk's D is 10x better than Jokic's makes him more talented IMHO. Now, if you'd comprehend my post, you'd realize I wasn't saying Jokic wasn't talented. What I asked was if he played D. And yes, the answer is no.
But Jokic is 10x more talented than Nurk on offense. I think if you asked GMs, theyd all take Jokic over Nurkic.....right now
We both know that's not true. And you can read 28 other GM's minds? I disagree with that completely. They might take Jokic because he's got more years left on his rookie deal but that's it IMO.
What that Nurk is a far better Defender? That's completely true. Maybe I embellished on the 10x. But Jokic isn't THAT much better than Nurkic on Offense. He sure does wilt when the pressure is on though... Nurk steps up on O and D when his team needs to win a playoff spot. Jokic wilts in the most important game of his career. There's something to be said about mindset.
It's much more important that your center is good defensively than your guards. They're the anchors down low. I will take the defensive center over the offensive one ten times out of ten.
We don't and did not need a player like Jokic because we have a playmaker in Lillard and he plays 35 mpg+. We needed someone who will make our defence stronger and Nurkic has been doing that for the past 6 weeks. He's also a scoring threat which helps us greatly and takes some burden off of Dame and CJ. Jokic would also provide that (and rebounding too) but he'd not provide the same sort of interior defense. Jokic is a better scorer and passer. Nurkic is a better defender. Both are very good rebounders.
On a team with few creators and limited perimeter shooting, Jokic definitely out-played Nurkic and it wasn't even close. However, I do wonder if somebody with Jokic's skillset really lends itself to elite success co-existing with other elites. Sure, Dirk won a championship (only 1) but it was after Nash left. Durant never won with elite talent next to him in Westbrook/Harden. Seven footers with shooting guard skills sound nice, but does it really lead to rings? Seems like big men dominating the middle have a much greater track record of success. I know the league is changing, getting smaller....I guess it gets back to re-hashing the old Oden-vs-Durant debate. One guy was supposed to win scoring records while the other won championships. As talented as Jokic is, I definitely think he's a worse fit for our team than Nurk. Dame and CJ don't need clever passes to get open shots nearly as much as they need crushing screens and somebody who forces defenders to sag into the middle. Give them that extra half step and they'll create plenty for themselves (as we saw last night). Given how horrible they are as defenders, it's also no small thing to have a really good defensive center as well.
I would rather have a defensive minded center who can score in the post and pass a little than a perimeter offensive minded center who scores, passes and plays a little D even if he is the all-around better player skills wise.
I'd rather have both. God that Jokic dude is so cerebral and skilled. Like a modern day CWebb, but in a more flabby body. He OWNS that elbow/high post area and Nurk is killer in P&R and can protect the rim. Add a somewhat decent PG to that duo, and you have prolly the best PF/C combo in the league. Malone is stupid. Their GM is worse for not realizing this.
Agreed, he's not really anything like Dirk. CWebb is my comparison for him. But a bit taller and more doughy, and a lil less athletic.
It wasn't that, honestly. I paid attention to the guy for the first time last night and saw some okay jumpers and a euro center working on some range. Looked like Dirk me.
