Damian Lillard has huge praise for Nuggets star Nikola Jokic in viral Instagram Live
In a league littered with superstar talent, Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard believes Nikola Jokic may be head and shoulders above the rest.
While chatting with fans on Instagram Live on Saturday, Lillard pointed to the two-time MVP as his pick for the best player in basketball at the moment, highlighting a bevy of skills and traits that Jokic brings to the table.
“Joker might be the best player in the league,” Lillard stated. “Smart as hell, he can shoot, he pass, he play team ball, he care about winning, he humble, he stay true. I like how Joker do his thing.”
Lillard's comments shouldn't come as much surprise to NBA fans and pundits. While the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat continue to duke it out in the East, the Nuggets punched their tickets to the NBA Finals with ease last Monday, in large part to Jokic's efforts. Per usual, the Serbian big man led the charge for Denver, averaging 27.8 points per game in the series against the Los Angeles Lakers and notching a triple-double in all but one outing.
In 69 regular season games in 2022-23, Jokic averaged 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and a career-high 9.8 assists. Yet despite his brilliance, Jokic missed out on an MVP three-peat, finishing second to Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid.
Lillard did note during his Instagram Live that he believes Embiid warranted the MVP trophy this season. However, he did add that “the best player doesn’t always win MVP." This is an unequivocally true statement from Lillard — look no further than Kobe Bryant having just one MVP award to his name as proof.
Whether it was voter fatigue, Embiid being more deserving, or a combination of both is frankly irrelevant. Jokic has cemented himself as one of the league's elites this postseason and much like Bryant, may soon be stacking Finals MVPs over regular season MVPs.
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