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Howdy, folks. Welcome back to Layup Lines. It’s Sykes here to usher you into another weekend of playoff basketball. Let’s talk about Nikola Jokic.
So much of the conversation about Jokic has been about his warts as a player, which feels extremely odd to say about someone who was a back-to-back MVP in the league and could’ve won a third consecutive trophy this year.
But it’s true. As soon he won that MVP, talking heads began making the case about why he shouldn’t have. His team wasn’t good enough. He didn’t play enough defense. He hasn’t ever unequivocally been the best player on the best team in the league. All of those arguments were fine and mostly fair.
Then this season came around. Jokic was the best player on the best team in the Western Conference by far. He checked all the boxes folks wanted him to check, but he also couldn’t win another MVP after winning two straight. Why? Because history said so.
Folks also talked — again — about how bad he was defensively and how no one takes the Nuggets seriously as a title contender because of that. While Jokic was the fulcrum that made Denver go, people seemed to make the case that he was also the very thing holding them back on the defensive end of the floor.
And, yet, here we are. Jokic’s Denver Nuggets are the first team to make it to the NBA’s conference finals this season and it’s largely because of how spectacular Jokic has been.
The man essentially averaged a 35-point triple-double against the Suns in the conference semifinals. He joined LeBron James as the only players in the last 50 seasons to score at least 200 points, 70 rebounds and 60 assists in a single series. He’s also the third player to ever average a 30-point triple-double through an entire series.
The control Jokic has on the game right now is unmatched in the NBA. Say what you want about his play on the defensive end — where he’s been surprisingly good this postseason — the dude has proven to be unstoppable on offense. There’s no other player who can say that in these playoffs.
Yes, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid exist. Kevin Durant is still great and Steph Curry is still a flamethrower. LeBron James is still one of the best players we’ve ever seen touch a basketball.
But right now, Nikola Jokic is the best player in the league. He’s answered every question we’ve had. All that’s left to do is to sit back and watch the show to see where it takes us.
I have a feeling it’ll be straight to the NBA Finals.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
With the NBA lottery coming on Tuesday, the mock drafts are flying in from everywhere. Of course, the homie Bryan Kalbrosky has you covered with his excellent mocks.
Our guy Charles Curtis has you covered with what the rest of the internet things, too, with his consensus mock. He’s taking information from mock drafts around the internet in spaces like The Athletic, ESPN, Bleacher Report and more to show you exactly how the basketball-loving internet thinks the draft will play out.
The verdict: Victor Wembanyama is definitely going No. 1. But you already knew that.
It’s Vic SZN, y’all. Prepare yourselves accordingly.
One to Watch
(All odds via Tipico.)
Warriors (+135) @ Lakers (-3.5, -155), O/U 219.5, 10 PM ET
This doesn’t really feel like a tough one to pick considering that the Warriors are 11-30 on the road this season and Andrew Wiggins is also questionable with a rib contusion heading into tonight’s action.
But it’s Steph Cury. The Warriors are defending champions. And they’re not going down without a fight — especially not in Game 6. Klay Thompson is going to get up a ton of shots tonight, which could be either good or bad if you’re Golden State. We’ll see how it plays out.
But, for me? I’d take the Warriors +3.5. It’ll be a close one.
Shootaround
— A big Game 7 from James Harden could be a big payday for all you bettors out there.
— The 15 best players in the NBA who haven’t won a title yet. Some pretty incredible names on that list.
— Mark Jones has BARS, y’all. For days.
— This dude really snuck into the Lakers arena as Austin Reaves. This is unreal.
Enjoy the weekend, folks!
