Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija has admitted on Draymond Green's podcast that guarding Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets' Serbian centre, is a practically impossible task. The Israeli highlighted the Serbian star's unique physical attributes and basketball intelligence. "Every time I switch onto Jokic, I'm like, what the hell am I supposed to do? I'm strong, but this guy is strong, smart, can pass, and has those touch floaters from every angle," Avdija said candidly.
Avdija also recalled the outrageous behind-the-back, no-look pass Jokic produced in a preseason game against the Utah Jazz and could not hide his amazement. "I gotta ask him if he really practices those types of things. There's no way that's natural for him to do that," he said. The reality is that even the NBA's best defenders have no effective answer to the Nuggets' talisman.
