He’s so good; there’s different levels to the difficulty. Brook Lopez speaks on the challenge of guarding Nikola Jokic
One of the hardest players in the world to guard is Nikola Jokic, the top player for the Denver Nuggets. Jokic, a massive 7-foot-280-pound player with excellent ball skills and agility, poses a special threat to any defense.
And center Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks is all too familiar with this.
Lopez talked about the challenges of protecting Jokic and how his skill set makes him one of the top big men in the game following the Nuggets’ recent 113-107 victory against the Bucks.
Difficult at all levels
Jokic can score from both inside and outside the area, unlike other large men. He is an expert passer, has a soft touch near the basket, and can shoot outside to spread the floor. He’s so amazing, there’s several levels to the challenge, Lopez said.
In their most recent encounter, Lopez was mostly in charge of stopping Jokic, but he also received support from teammates Bobby Portis and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Ultimately, according to Brook, the Bucks’ best chance was to contain the Serbian behemoth rather than try to stop him.
Jokic took a career-high 25 shots and made just 10 of them, while finishing with a triple-double of 25 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists. This was a poor performance for a guy who has historically shot over 55 percent from the field.
Lopez said, I thought our guys did an excellent job of reading and knowing when to have my back, when to help me, and just making it a little harder for him.
The defense for the Bucks is still being worked on.
The Bucks, led by Doc Rivers, aggressively double-teamed Jokic in an effort to confuse him and offer him alternative looks.
MVPs like Jokic will learn their lessons in time, but it’s evident that the Bucks’ defensive approach was successful in reducing his output.
