The List: Nikola Jokic the point guard

1. Nikola Jokic has been a “point center” since he arrived in the NBA back in 2015. That unofficial title has more or less meant that Jokic is the primary pivot point of the offense. The fulcrum, if you will. But “center” is his true position and “point” merely refers to the fact that the “point guard” is usually the player who initiates and runs the offense. The Denver Nuggets have tailored their offense to place Jokic in position to be that focal point but for the most part, he is operating out of forward and center spots. The inverted 5-1 pick and roll (PnR) is the most obvious exception.

Recently, the Nuggets have started running pistol action with Jokic as the ball handler, a play typically reserved for actual point guards.

This offense was popularized by the seven second or less Phoenix Suns, with Steve Nash running the point. It has become a staple of NBA offenses (I’ve actually broken a more traditional version of this play down before for What Makes This Play Great) but it is extremely rare for a true center to take over the ball handling duty. The Nuggets only recently started going to it with Jokic at point over the last couple of games but have had a lot of success with it so far.

2. Denver’s “Paul Millsap special” play is AI Out. The play gets its name from a guard running an “Iverson” cut over the top of the free throw line before big on the right elbow screens across for Millsap to cut across. Millsap loves to iso from that spot on the court and the cross screen often provides Millsap enough space to attack off of the dribble or turn and face for a quick jumper.

More examples from last season.

3. I love that Jokic isn’t afraid to run a dribble handoff (DHO) with Jerami Grant. Grant isn’t the best ball handler on the team but that 4-5 handoff action is unfamiliar to most bigs. More importantly, trusting every player on the court to make basic reads in PnRs and DHOs allows the offense to flow from one action to the next more freely, keeping the defense scrambling to keep up.

4. The Jokic-Grant PnR is still a work in progress but I love that the Nuggets are still finding opportunities to try it out each game.

5. Jamal Murray is 13 of 23 from behind the three-point arc over his last 3 games, good for 56.5%. That’s a scorching percentage but the 23 attempts might be as important as the 13 makes. Murray, who has just returned from a 10-game absence due to an ankle injury, has said that the time on the sideline has allowed him a chance to discover angles and opportunities on the court. If shots like the one below are the types of opportunities that he is talking about, then the Nuggets are going to be better off.

6. Here is Jokic running that wedge roll action but electing to set the ball screen up top rather than fighting for post position on the block. This is a great example of how Jokic can change the look of a play on the fly by reading his defender.

The Full List