Nikola Jokic is on pace to shatter three all-time Nuggets records
Jan 7, 2022, 5:02 PM
If you’re a sports fan, it’s always fun to look at numbers and records. I certainly enjoy it. I probably spend a little too much time doing it, but what the heck?
One of my favorite stat-gawking exercises is assessing what records in sports will probably never be broken. There are few records in the sports world I am reasonably certain will never be touched.
Here’s my top 10 list, in no particular order.
• Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak
• Brett Favre’s 297 consecutive starts
• Wayne Gretzky’s 2,857 career points
• Cy Young’s 511 wins
• UCLA’s seven straight men’s basketball championships
• Walter Johnson’s 110 career shutouts
• Wilt Chamberlain’s 50.4 points per game in one season
• Cal Ripken’s 2,362 games played steak
• Boston Celtics winning eight straight NBA championships
• Dan Gable being un-scored upon in an entire Olympic Games
And when I look at the Denver Nuggets numbers and records, which I have done plenty of over the years, I also see some records I don’t think will ever be broken.
Let’s hit the basic three stats.
• In terms of scoring, we have Alex English No. 1 with 21,646 points
Nikola Jokic, if he stays in a Nugget uniform for another contract or two, has a chance to shatter that record. The Joker is already No. 6 on the list with 9,158 points.
• In terms of rebounds, the leader is Dan Issel with 6,630
Jokic is already breathing down The Horse’s neck. He’s at 4,377 and No. 3 on the list.
• In terms of assists, the leader is also English, with a total of 3,679
Jokic is creeping in here too. He’s already at No. 4 with just under 3,000.
So, with the big three, Jokic has a terrific chance to be the all-time leader. In fact, he has an opportunity to obliterate those three records, depending on contract status and longevity.
But there are two Nuggets numbers, although a little more obscure and with less value, that Jokic or anyone else might have a hard time cracking.
Blocks is the first one. Dikembe Mutombo is the leader at 1,486. (And, incredibly, he did that in just five seasons)
Jokic is sitting at 338. Looks pretty tough to catch.
Free-throw percentage is another one. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf has that record at an amazing .916. Jamal Murray (career .878) could flirt with it, but it seems pretty unlikely.
Nikola Jokic has a chance to be the Nuggets all-time leader in several categories.
Except for two.