Which player is actually ‘best’ at guarding Nikola Jokic
For whatever reason before the WCF in 2023, there was a conception that Anthony Davis does very well against Nikola Jokic however that narrative has completely flipped.
I’ve seen Nurkic, Ayton, Draymond and Gobert mentioned before but the facts (stats) seem untrue.
While there might not be a Jokic stopper, is there an actual player that defends Jokic well to the point of keeping him to or below his averages?
Wendell Carter Jr. is the one who makes him struggle the most currently. Very good post defender and a tricky defender in most facets - lenghty, mobile and strong.
Jokic tends to figure even his best defenders out after enough matchups though, so it is to be seen how he does against him this year.
Yeah, there was a time when Ayton played Jokic really well. Jokic always figures the defender out given enough time. I still think Gobert is the guy that gives him the most trouble even after Jokic has adapted. Gobert’s length makes Jokic’s finishing around the rim more difficult.
Yeah a few years ago Gobert would lock down Jokic. The Joker has obviously adapted to be able to score on Gobert very effectively but I still think Gobert can contain him the best as a center. Jokic’s passing and ability to score anywhere just makes him impossible to guard by anyone
Gobert may or may not be the best defender of Jokic overall, but he might be the best at taking a specific part of his game away with his rim protection. Though what “taking a part of his game away” usually means for Jokic is “making him work harder for the same result” or “make him simply good-to-excellent at it rather than elite.”