In an appearance on the Pat Bev podcast, Richard Jefferson shed some light on a recent conversation he had with Spurs legend Tim Duncan. After joking with Tim that Nikola Jokic would have given him trouble on the court, Duncan came back with an epic response as he looked back on the few meetings they had in the past...
"I was talking sh*t to Tim just recently," said Richard Jefferson. "I was like, 'Jokic would have whipped your a**.' And this is the ultimate Tim Duncan response: he goes, 'I played him after I was me and before he was him, and I did okay.' If you know Tim, that's the ultimate compliment to Jokic..."
Tim Duncan was a surprisingly good trash talker and he flashed a little bit of that with Richard in a rather hilarious line. There wasn't anyone that Duncan couldn't handle in his prime, and Jokic is lucky he never got to see that side of him, even though there was a brief period when they both were in the NBA.
At the time, of course, Jokic was still discovering his peak form while Duncan was a the tail end of a legendary career. One of their most memorable clashes was in 2016 when the Spurs came to Denver for Tim's second-to-last regular season game. Duncan finished with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists in the game while Jokic, a rookie, dropped 8 points and 15 rebounds.
So while Duncan was dominant until the very end, Jokic was showing signs of stardom even back then and Tim could sense something special was brewing. We'll never know how the two might have failed in a playoff series against each other but it's not a stretch to say that Jokic has picked up the mantle from Duncan in many ways. At the very least, as a 2x MVP, NBA champion, and a star who is strictly about business, Jokic is on a similar path to the Spurs legend in terms of his NBA legacy.
Can Nikola Jokic Build A Dynasty In Denver Like Tim Duncan And The Spurs?
Perhaps the biggest question now for Nikola Jokic is whether or not his 2023 title run was a one-time thing or the first of many championships for his career. The answer remains to be seen, but Jokic is still the best player in the world right now and, like Duncan, his presence makes the Nuggets a tough match for any team in the league.
By 2005-06, Duncan's 9th season in the league, he already had three championships to his name and was quickly building a case as a top 10 player ever. While Jokic more than matches up statistically, he hasn't achieved nearly the same success with the Nuggets.
This season, as the race begins to defend their title, Jokic is working in overdrive as the Nuggets try to keep up with rising competition in the West that includes the new-look Clippers, a young and versatile Thunder team, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are led by one of the most exciting young stars in the game.
The Nuggets have shown some slippage across the board this year but confidence is still high that they can make another deep postseason run. As always, Jokic will be the key to their success and it's fair to say they're in good hands considering he's got the stamp of approval from Tim Duncan himself.
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