Nikola Jokic has proved any doubts about his greatness wrong during this playoff run for the Denver Nuggets. He has led his team to a spot in the NBA Finals and has an excellent chance of adding a championship and Finals MVP to his resume.
Nikola Jokic is as complete a player as he has ever been on the offensive end. He has already earned the title of the greatest passing big man, and now former NBA Coach George Karl has given him another big compliment.
“A former pro hoops owner told me this week Jokic is the most complete offensive player he’s ever seen,” Karl wrote in a tweet. “I give him a slight nod there over Bird because of his passing s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s. And there is a ton of Sabonis and Duncan in his game. But I do think Jokic is one of one.”
Larry Bird is widely regarded as one of the best offensive players ever. An elite shooter, Bird was able to dismantle opponents and teams with ease during his prime with the Boston Celtics. While Nikola Jokic lacks a bit of the swagger Bird had, he has proved he can be just as effective. And while it’s way too soon to put him in the conversation with Bird in terms of all-time rankings, a championship this season would certainly be a giant step in that direction for Jokic.
Nikola Jokic vs. Larry Bird Stats Comparison
Larry Bird averaged 24.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 6.3 assists for his career, doing it on 49.6% from the field, 37.6% from the three-point line, and 88.6% from the free throw line. Those are elite numbers with excellent efficiency, and it’s easy to see why he is spoken about as highly as he is. Larry Legend was also in the 50-40-90 club on two occasions, an incredible achievement.
In comparison, Nikola Jokic has averaged 20.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 6.6 assists for his career. He has done so on 55.4% from the field, 34.8% from three-point range, and 82.9% from the free throw line. His numbers fall short of Bird’s, but he also took some time to acclimatize to the league when he first arrived.
What this tells us, though just an overview, is that Nikola Jokic still has some way to go to be considered above Larry Bird. It’s understandable why Coach Karl might speak of him so highly, but there are some important steps for the Joker to achieve before he earns legitimate comparisons to Larry Legend.
