I like that better. Both have interesting, and impressive offensive games (Nurk is both graceful and completely not graceful when he shoots but when he's on he can't miss), but Nurk (I wanna call him Big Bear for some reason) can stop a center his size; Jokic can't. Plus, and the Denver players said it, he out for blood on the court. He has the killer instinct, I'd say to the level that Dame does. CJ is right there too but he's a showman. Dame, CJ, and Nurkic in a former life:
I want to give them both another year. Jeez. They both don't even have a full year of starting in the league yet.
Does it really matter who is better? The Blazers have a solid big man that hopefully will improve his game and be important for this franchise. Same with the Nuggets. Why do we have to compare the two? Although, all that said, I TOLD you we should've drafted Jusef Jokic instead of Meyers Leonard, but did any of you listen to me!?!?!
I agree with the fit. We didn't really need more playmaking and offensive skills, we mostly needed interior defense and a guy that can toughen our team. As for the skillset of Jokic and if it can lead to success I don't really know. Depends a lot on the team you land (Denver will keep him for the next 7 years at least), who coaches you and what talent you have around you. Maybe it's more difficult, more out of the box to build around a playmaking C and you need more pieces to fall in the right place, but we are talking about talent here. That's what I compared. Jokic has his defensive issues, but I still believe he makes up for them on the offensive end by being really efficient. That's my opinion.
Some ok jumpers? Dirk is one of the best mid range players in league history. His release is high and behind him enabling him to get his shot off against almost any kind of pressure. Being able to hit a set jumper is a skill many players have, but it doesn't make them compare to Nowitski.
Ugh Jesus fucking Christ I forgot how insufferable people's POSTS were. You fucking win I don't know what I'm talking about. Jokic did not impress me at all; he was invisible.
I've watched Jokic a lot in the last month or so - and he hasn't been all that great from the eye test. He facilities nicely - but IMO, he still has a long way to go. I guess I was expecting more since "budding superstar" was being thrown around about him... I just didn't see it in the 10-12 games I've watched in the last month or so.
Since I've only recently started closely watching the Blazers again, how does Nurkic look to you? He seems to me to be youthfully inconsistent but when he gets a bug up his ass to take over, he actually can take over a quarter. I see him as the type to demand the ball four or five plays in a row like Barkley or Shaq used to soon.
I'm cool with that. If he scores on two consecutive possessions you keep getting him the ball until he misses. Maybe he misses on his 3rd attempt, but at worst then he's been reminded that he's mortal and that it's a team game. At best he continues to score and/or draw fouls! He also seems like a guy who won't often miss the pass to the open man - the way he and Harkless work together is beautiful. It only happens a couple times each game, but they're usually some of my favorite game moments.
The way he plays with Vonleh and Harkless both is great; even at 22, he is getting the ball to the open guy when he's doubled. If he wants to go HAM on the post against an inferior defender, that means you have to double him eventually, and that means leaving Vonleh or Harkless open.
Yeah, Vonleh too! Basically, he's a team player who makes everyone around him better. I think the last time we had a big who made those around him better was when we had Sabas/Sheed. Maybe an argument could be made for Camby, but that was so short-lived it's rendered meaningless IMO.
