Nikola Jokic was asked who guards him best, here’s his answer

Nikola Jokic has made a living turning elite defenders into chopped liver. He’s torched four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert in the playoffs so many times that the Frenchman has become a punchline in certain corners of the internet. He’s turned entire defensive schemes inside out. He has cooked everybody.

So when Jokic sat down on the Jaomile podcast’s — speaking in Serbian, his comfort zone — and was asked which players guard him the best, the three-time MVP did something very Jokic: He was generous, genuine and hilariously self-aware.

“Who guards me the best? Everybody!” Jokic said. “The league is just as talented defensively as it is offensively.”

“Who guards me the best? Everybody! The league is just as talented defensively as it is offensively.

Ivica Zubac and Jusuf Nurkic, they’re chubby like me, so it’s hard for me to move them.

Rudy Gobert: I know people say all kinds of things about him, but I think he’s a great… pic.twitter.com/PpAYSZtjl5

— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) September 10, 2026

Joker, ha. The man who casually dismantles top-five defenses, the man who is tied for most triple-doubles in league history when combining the regular season and playoffs, started by giving the whole league its flowers. But then he got specific, and the list makes a lot sense and reveals a bit of something.

“Ivica Zubac and Jusuf Nurkic, they’re chubby like me, so it’s hard for me to move them,” Jokic said.

Nuggets fans know those names well and for different reason. Nurkic was drafted alongside Jokic in 2014, the Bosnian big man selected No. 16 while the Serbian went No. 41. Denver chose Jokic over Nurkic as the franchise center, a decision that changed the trajectory of the organization forever. Nurkic was shipped to Portland in 2017 and has had a productive career the since, but Jokic has never been anything but complimentary toward his old running mate. He’s previously called Nurkic a “monster in the glass.”

Similarly a Slavic player he has a lot of respect for who has been on an All-NBA team and recently faced off with the Nuggets in the playoffs came off in Zubac. But the bigger name with a more noteworthy playoff history against Jokic came up.

“Rudy Gobert: I know people say all kinds of things about him, but I think he’s a great defender,” Jokic said. “He showed that in the last playoffs. Even thought I’ve had some good games against him, I think he’s a really good defender.”

Jokic delivered his chef d’oeuvre against Gobert in the 2024 playoffs, then a year later dropped 61 points and fouled the guy out and then one-upped that on Christmas a a few months after that. He’s put together some of his very best games and moments against Gobert. And yet, Gobert’s teams have a 2-2 record against the Nuggets in the playoffs. And frankly, right now might be the high point for the French star in the rivalry. The shorthanded Timberwolves took it to the Nuggets in the playoffs this past spring, ousting Denver in a series that left Jokic searching for answers around him.

Jokic also named two younger bigs who give him a harder time.

“Jalen Duren from Detroit, Wendell Carter Jr., they’re smaller and tough to deal with,” Jokic said.

We’ve seen smaller more mobile bigs befuddle Jokic at times before he solved eventually them. It makes sense that two players from the East, who he doesn’t see much, made the list, too.

And then Jokic went team-wide and dropped the final name on his list.

“The entire Oklahoma City team … Victor Wembanyama.”

The Thunder as a collective defensive unit have been a problem for Denver for years now. Their length, switching ability and sheer depth of athletes make them uniquely equipped to bother Jokic. And Wembanyama? The 7-foot-3 generational talent who became the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year? He’s the future of the “try to guard Jokic” business, even if the Joker has gotten the better of those matchups more often than not.

Jokic has earned the right to say no one can guard him — the numbers back it up. Instead, he chose to praise his peers, honor a former teammate and give credit to the guys who at least make him think twice.

That’s Joker for you and the world and league are still trying to solve him.

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