Debunking Dwight Howard's Claim That He Could Guard Nikola Jokic Today: Joker Destroyed Him When They Last Faced Off

Nikola Jokic is widely regarded as the best player in the NBA today but Dwight Howard, who last played in the league in 2022, reckons he'd still be able to guard him well. Howard appeared on the latest episode of KG Certified where he explained why he is still capable of slowing down Jokic.

"Oh, hell yeah. There's no doubt in my mind," Howard said. “And it's not that he's a bad player, like people think I be hating on him... I play defense, so I'm not tripping on him. I think he's an amazing, awesome player. The stuff he's doing on the court is crazy. I just feel like you've got to have somebody that's going to match that energy.

"And if I'm out there, everything he's doing, I'mma match it," Howard continued. "If I'm getting the ball, I'mma dunk just as hard as he getting an assist. He ain't finna getting all them rebounds on me... If they'd allowed me to hoop like they allow him to hoop, I bet you he won’t have them numbers on me."

You have to admire the confidence. I think Howard in his prime could have slowed down the current version of Jokic as he used to be the best defender in the NBA. The big man won three straight Defensive Player of the Year awards from 2009 to 2011 and used to be a terror on that end of the floor. The keyword there, though, is used.

Howard is now a shell of the player he was at his peak and is also nowhere near as good as he was when he played against Jokic in the 2020 NBA playoffs. He did a very good job guarding the Serbian then, but it would be a very different story if they got to play each other again.

We just need to look at the last time Howard played against Jokic to know that it wouldn't end well for the former. That last meeting was on April 3, 2022, when the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Denver Nuggets, and it was a complete mismatch.

Jokic had 38 points, 18 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks in that game against the Lakers. He went 15-22 from the field, 0-3 from three, and 8-11 from the line that night. I think it's safe to say, that Howard, who had eight points and seven rebounds in over 23 minutes on the night, wasn't able to slow down Jokic in the slightest.