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Grades: Best Player in the World

Brendan Vogt Avatar
March 7, 2022

Nikola Jokić – A+

We’ve been waiting to see Jokić kick it back into sixth gear. We were due for a reminder game. He’s excellent night and night out, but now and then, when the Nuggets need it most, he reminds us all what the best player in the world can do.

The Nuggets were dead in the water entering the fourth quarter. A 21 point lead had evaporated, Michael Malone was gone, and the referees were handing out technicals like a lit episode of Oprah. Jokić had been pacing himself to that point, navigating hard double-teams and another poor shooting performance from his teammates. The threes weren’t falling, and the new-look Pelicans—an excellent basketball team—weren’t giving him an inch to breathe. The game called for a different approach. Jokić needed to force the issue, and Denver had to live or die by his sword. Nothing else would do.

Jokić responded with 30 points in the final nine minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime period. He collected his second 40-point triple-double of the season: a 46-12-11-3-4 masterpiece on 72.7/60/91.7 splits. Over that stretch, he looked as good as any player to have ever played this game, bar none.

Something about this performance was particularly satiating. Jokić hadn’t looked quite as dominant as we’d grown accustomed to since the All-Star break. We eagerly awaited an encore after he went full Godzilla on the Clippers earlier in the season, and he’s played great since, but he hadn’t willed his team through a brick wall in a similar fashion. Denver needs every win they can get right now, and they were on the verge of dropping a home game after five technical fouls, an ejection, and a miracle half-court heave from Brandon Ingram. The MVP Race will likely be close, but it felt like it was slipping away post-Harden trade. Jokić had to do something drastic. He did something more.

It’s so cathartic to watch Jokić reach that level. It’s beyond gratifying. He was asleep when Denver took him in the draft. A now-retired (and HOF in its own right) item from the Taco Bell menu dominated the screen while the Nuggets selected one of the most dominant forces in league history. It wasn’t all that long ago that Jokić put out a flier for pick-up hoops on his Facebook page, only to receive zero replies. As we watch many in the basketball community realize that he’s the best doing it, we’d do well to remember Jokić was late to his own party. It was all so tentative. Almost reluctant. He had to be dragged to this realization, that he’s not just good, but great. Now he’s dragging an organization out of near-collapse.

There are world beaters and world devourers. Jokić, in that sixth gear, is the latter. The best player in Nuggets history is on a new trajectory now. He’s got a chance at back-to-back MVPs and an opportunity to solidify his legacy as one of the All-Time greats in basketball history. Forget the Nuggets. He’s got a chance to be the best athlete in Denver Sports History. He’ll need a title to make it all happen, but watching him last night, we were reminded again not to rule anything out while this man is on the court. What a treat it is to watch him play. What a privilege it is to follow this career so closely. What a night from the best player alive.

Aaron Gordon – A-

Ok, believe it or not, Jokić was not the only player on the floor Sunday night. And believe it or not, the thermonuclear Ingram was held scoreless in the first quarter by Aaron Gordon. AG picked up some early fouls, and Denver wilted to a switch-first approach. Ingram torched Monte Morris and Will Barton, but AG made a big difference in the first quarter and did his part to slow CJ McCollum later in the game.

Perhaps my favorite part of AG’s night is that, while shooting 0 of 5 from 3, he also took 15 free throws. Finally, Gordon saw wide-open 3s as wide-open lanes. He attacked the space as a cutter and driver. He was vicious around the rim, and it made all the difference in the world.

Monte Morris – B+

With 3:13 remaining in overtime, New Orleans led by four, and they were determined to make anyone other than Jokić beat them. They doubled hard off Big Game Tae. They didn’t get the memo from the Mayor’s Office. Morris drained a crucial 3 to keep Denver afloat.

Will Barton – C

Barton was excellent in the first quarter, then it melted away, and then he rolled his ankle on a fast break. The good news: Barton’s injury does not appear to be serious, Malone revealed after the game.

Jeff Green – B

Green was instrumental in the win, playing some of his best defense of the season in several vital possessions, helping to douse Ingram.

JaMychal Green – B

The ghost of the second unit’s past visited the new-look bench. That group struggled, but Green battled to help prevent disaster. He’s rediscovered his utility, and it’s great to see.

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