NUGGETS

Kendrick Perkins is at it again with a bad take about Nikola Jokic

Nov 8, 2023, 4:04 PM

ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins doesn’t seem to like Nuggets star Nikola Jokic as much as everyone else.

And that was reflected again on Wednesday when he came out with his list of the top-5 offensive players in the NBA.

One year after derailing the MVP race, Perkins is at it again.

Perkins put Jokic at No. 3 in the league, behind Kevin Durant and Steph Curry. They’re both great players, but come on, they’re not Jokic. Neither is coming off an NBA Finals MVP performance or a season in which they should’ve won their third-straight Most Valuable Player award.

Here’s Perkins’ full list.

Really?

First of all, Jokic significantly outplayed Durant last season when the Nuggets and Suns met in the playoffs. The Serbian big man averaged 34.5 points, 13.2 rebounds and 10.3 assists during the six games. Durant put up 29.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists in the six contests. Denver, of course, won the series.

And Curry is a great shooter, but Jokic put up almost equal scoring numbers in the postseason and trounced him in rebounds and assists. Jokic nearly averaged a triple-double while leading the Nuggets to their first title, putting up 30.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 9.5 assists. Curry scored 30.5 points in 13 games for the Warriors, but had 6.1 assists and 5.2 rebounds.

So far in this regular season, Jokic is eighth in the NBA in points per game (28.4), third in rebounds (12.9) and sixth in assists (8.4). Durant and Curry are both top-10 in points, but neither is in rebounds or assists.

Last time I checked, there’s more to being a great offensive player than scoring. Jokic not only distributes the basketball, but works the offensive glass as well. His skill set is one of the most unique in NBA history, and certainly makes him the best player on Earth right now.

This is Perkins being Perkins. He’s ordering attention, and now he’s getting it. That’s the way some sports media operates in 2023.

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