The Rest Of The NBA Might Not Be Ready To Handle Goatee Nikola Jokic
Jesse D. Garrabrant. Getty Images.While NBA Media Day is usually a time for hype and excitement, I'm not sure there is a single player on the planet who despises it more than Nikola Jokic
Some take that as him not giving a shit or not being excited, but that's not really the case. He just hates the bullshit. Always has, always will.
As the pretty clear-cut best player in the world, this is a big season for the defending MVP and former champ. You see, people somehow forget that Jokic and the Nuggets blew a 20-point lead in Game 7 at home last season, ruining their attempt to repeat as champions. Then they lost another key rotation player in KCP and replaced that with….Russell Westbrook. When you factor in the uncertainty around just how healthy and productive Jamal Murray can be after what we saw in the playoffs and the Olympics combined with how unproven their new 2nd unit is going to be
this is potentially going to be Jokic's most challenging season to date. The carry job he's going to have to do given what the Nuggets have now given him in terms of a supporting cast is going to be massive, especially because the non-Jokic minutes could very well be a disaster (even more than previous seasons).
This is why in my opinion, it's a great sign that Jokic has shown up to camp looking like a vintage Bond villain. We saw the early stages of this look during the Olympics (where he was dominant)
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and I thought at the time that this was something Jokic should absolutely keep for the season. Given what is going to be required of him this year, he's going to have to play with more of a mean streak. He's going to have to be more selfish offensively at times, even if it goes against everything he believes in as a player.
What better way to do that than to enter your villain era? Remember when LeBron did that once he got to the Heat? He went up a few levels and became an even more unstoppable force. Why can't the same be true for villain Jokic? Of all the factors to consider heading into this season for the Nuggets, I'm of the belief that making sure Jokic keeps this looks and fully embraces being a villain is pretty damn high on that list. Sometimes changing your look can do wonders for you as a player. We all saw what happened with Derrick White once he went bald correct? He morphed into a legitimate two-way monster.
That's why the Nuggets need to do everything in their power to change Jokic's mind when it comes to his new look
Given how competitive the West is going to be, any bit of an advantage you can get is going to be key. We know that as long as Jokic exists the Nuggets are going to be contenders, but now that the rest of the conference continues to get better and better, it may require a new version of Jokic to keep this new look Nuggets atop of the standings. I say keep the new look and see how things shake out to start the year with Jokic embracing being a villain. If it doesn't stick, then get rid of it. But based on what we saw from him in the Olympics with this look, if I were a Nuggets fan I would be begging him to keep it.
Not only do you get the same Jokic dominance as you can see below, but this version would be even more powerful