Magic Johnson sums up Nikola Jokic's greatness perfectly

Basketball is a game of rhythm, at least for most. Nikola Jokic can make stuff happen when he's off-rhythm (or off-balance; ask Anthony Davis), a rare trait that has caught the attention of one of the greats.

Magic Johnson recently marveled at Jokic's ability to dominate games just by being on the court, be it with his trickery in shotmaking or his ability to dissect defenses with his passing. Johnson compared Jokic's herky-jerky post moves to Warriors legend Chris Mullin. 

"He's the best player in basketball right now," Johnson told "Byron Scott's Fast Break" podcast. "He reads situations and defenses well. His basketball IQ is off the charts. And then he beats you because he's off-rhythm like Chris Mullin used to do to us... Joker's the same way, you'd be like 'You're supposed to shoot now' [after the post moves]. He uses his body so well. He can't jump but he just bumps you off and gets his shot off." 

Johnson, though, was unwilling to crown Jokic the best center ever, not over his former teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

"The only thing he can't do like Kareem is dominate at both ends. That's what’s missing for him because he's not a big shot blocker."

That's a fair take by Johnson. Jokic is not an excellent rim protector by any stretch, but to his credit, he has vastly improved in recent years. His defense sometimes suffers due to his energy on offense, both as a scorer and facilitator. 

Johnson's admiration for Jokic is understandable. Earlier this season, the Nuggets star passed him on the all-time leaderboard for triple-doubles and has since hung another 21 triple-doubles. The Serb is 22 away from passing Oscar Robertson for second and 44 from teammate Russell Westbrook's record.

Jokic is set to become the first player since Wilt Chamberlain in 1967-68 to finish a season top-three in points (29.1), rebounds (12.8) and assists (10.3). He's also the first non-guard to average a triple-double after Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook. Yet, he's not a lock to win MVP, with Shai-Gilgeous Alexander (-900) favored to win the award, per ESPN Bet.