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Steve Nash makes fascinating ‘Mount Rushmore’ Nikola Jokic claim

Originally posted on NBA on ClutchPoints
By Preston Byers | Last updated Apr 26, 2025 2:27 PM ET

Nikola Jokic is undoubtedly one of the most talented players in NBA history, but when comparing across eras, his historical ranking can become unclear. Former MVP Steve Nash, though, thinks he might not be too far away from landing on the league’s all-time Mount Rushmore.

Nash, who won back-to-back MVP awards in 2005 and 2006, said Jokic could be among the very greatest players in NBA history if he continues to play as he has for the last few seasons.

“What did he average, a triple-double this year? Super high efficiency, team was hurt a lot. When your team is injured — Jamal Murray doesn’t play a lot, guys are in and out of the lineup, they maybe didn’t have the depth they had their championship year — you can load up on him a lot more. He still was crazy efficient and dominant. That to me is — if this guy does this for another five years, we’re talking like he’s on Mount Rushmore,” Nash said of Jokic on the Young Man & The Three podcast.

"What did [Nikola Jokic] average a triple-double this year? Super high efficiency… If this guy does this for another 5 years, we're talking like he's on Mount Rushmore."

Steve Nash on the Joker

(via @OldManAndThree)pic.twitter.com/d2WFOnEWzp

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 26, 2025

Although Nash played at the point guard position and Jokic is the traditional size of a center, each has displayed incredible playmaking and the ability to lead a hyper-efficient offense. Jokic, in particular, finished the season with one of the highest offensive ratings of any player in the league.

Still, it is a lot to expect for Jokic or any top-level player to continue to excel as they are now for another five years. Jokic turned 30 in February, and centers have historically aged worse than other positions, likely due to their height and weight.

However, if Jokic were to average a triple-double or continue to put up similar numbers and have the same impact, he would certainly go down as one of the greatest players — if not the single greatest player — in NBA history. At age 30, he already has an NBA championship and Finals MVP, three league MVPs, and he is expected to earn his seventh consecutive All-NBA selection this season.

Before any of that can happen, though, the Nuggets will try to erase a 2-1 series deficit and eliminate the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Game 4 between the Nuggets and Clippers is set for tonight at 4 p.m. MT.

This article first appeared on NBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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