The Denver Nuggets are one win away from winning the first NBA championship in franchise history.
They’ve been the true definition of a team, and they were the most consistent squad throughout the course of the whole season.
However, Nikola Jokic has obviously stood out from the rest of the pack, becoming an unstoppable offensive force and the most unique offensive player in the league right now.
Even so, former NBA coach George Karl believes there’s a way to counter Jokic.
“You can’t let him be a facilitator… Every time he gets 10 assists, they win”@CoachKarl22 on how he would stop Nikola Jokic 🗣️#RunItBack with @ShamsCharania @MichelleDBeadle @ChandlerParsons & @bansky pic.twitter.com/KNnhjNO3kw
— FanDuel TV (@FanDuelTV) June 12, 2023
Karl started off his explanation by stating that teams nowadays aren’t built to put up multiple defensive combinations and throw different looks at players the way it used to be back in the day.
Still, he thinks the Heat — or any other rival — could have a chance to stop Jokic if they take the playmaking away from him.
Coach Karl said that he believes Jokic could average 40+ points per game if he put his mind to it, but he thinks he actually enjoys it more being a playmaker than a scorer.
He also pointed out the fact that the Nuggets always seem to win when he gets at least ten assists, which is why they need to take everybody away from him and force him to change his mindset and be a scorer instead of a passer.
Of course, that’s way easier said than done, but the Heat actually managed to pull it off in the second game of the series.
All they need to do is replicate that three more times — two of them on the road.
Piece of cake.
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