Nikola Jokic not Top 5 center in history of NBA, claims ex-Celtics star with NBA championship

Despite not considering Jokic in the best centers, Pierce believes that the Serbian will get there in the future. Pierce was also firm that the Joker would be among the top 50 players of all time if he decided to retire with his current achievements. The former champion added that Jokic might get one or two more MVPs in his career.

Pierce’s claims are valid as the 29-year-old is currently in his 10th year and only has one championship, unlike the other stars on the list. The player has great potential to further enhance his resume and do more for his team in terms of titles. However, skills-wise it would not be a stretch to consider Jokic one of the best centers in the NBA.

Paul Pierce defended Nikola Jokic for his third MVP win

Ever since the announcement of the MVP award, many have been upset by the result. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was more deserving of the award according to many veterans of the game. However, the 2008 finals MVP defended the Joker from the SGA claims.

To support his claim, during the broadcast of Fox’s Undisputed, Pierce stated that according to stats, Jokic’s season overall was at MVP level. The star also explained the reason the league was not ready to name SGA as the MVP.

What Joker did during the regular season is just MVP-ish, from top to bottom. The numbers is not gonna lie. Does Shai have an argument? Absolutely. When I look at his team, he doesn’t have a second All-Star, nor does Joker… I do believe Jamal as a second-best player is better than what Shai has as a second-best player. Paul Pierce on Fox’s Undisputed

SGA did have a great season and had a better points average than Jokic but got dominated in all other categories. The Joker was better in terms of passing, rebounding, and field goal percentage. As this was Jokic’s year, the 25-year-old Thunder guard will certainly get more opportunities to win the award.