Is Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic a Bad Defender? Head Coach Fires Back

Denver’s offense this season is ranked seventh in the entire NBA. With a facilitator in Jokic, not to mention a reliable scorer in his own right, it only makes sense for the Nuggets to rise up as one of the most exciting teams when it comes to offense.

On defense, though, Denver is currently ranked 11th out of 30 teams in the league. While it’s not technically bad, there are 10 other squads better than the Nuggets in this department. Even if that’s the case, the criticism revolving around Jokic is seen by some as a reason for their 11th-place ranking on defense.

Denver Nuggets Head Coach Michael Malone Explains Why Nikola Jokic Is An Underrated Defender In The NBA

Having heard enough, Malone has voiced his opinion on Jokic’s defense. In a post by Matt Brooks on X:

Michael Malone on Jokić: “People criticize Nikola’s defense because he doesn’t average three blocks a game. But if you really are a basketball purist and you watch the game, you see he’s got some of the best hands in the NBA, bar none.”

“One of the most underrated defenders in the entire NBA,” Malone said.

As it stands, Jokic leads the NBA in defensive box plus/minus rating with a score of 4.4. With averages of 26.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, 9,2 assists, 1.3 steals, and almost a block per game, it’s hard to argue about the Joker’s impact on that end of the court.

It only makes sense to abandon any criticism of the Joker’s defense, with Malone and the numbers backing him up. In any case, the upcoming playoffs will certainly shed more light on this part of Jokic’s game.