How Nikola Jokic Uses His Basketball IQ to Control The Game

Nikola Jokic is one of the smartest players in the NBA but what does that exactly mean. Today we'll go through all the things he does to outsmart his opponents and put his teammates in the best positions to succeed.

Produced By Daniel Li
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[dimelo]

Lol that last clip where he has to actually physically put Braun in the right position killed me.

[rastaman]

Watching basketball since the 80ies.
Never saw someone like him....

[BlindSwami_]

This is why Jokic is always near the top of the league in stats like defensive win shares and +/-. We see him getting beat at the rim and on drives, but there's so much more nuance to defence that we miss as fans

[Henwin]

That's why Jokic is an underrated team defender and elite at drop coverage defense. He was ranked 5th in total deflections in the 2023-2024 season. His biggest weakness on the defensive end is his "rim protection", but that's why the signing of AG has helped mitigate that weakness.

[CinHalCedHerChance]

Talk about athleticism, not only is he hitting triple doubles regularly, he's mentally in tune with the game in real time, moving players around and reading plays telling others where they should be.
That's some elite level shit, has to be exhausting man, he's just a beast.

[RGoat]

My admiration for Nikola is infinite, an absolute genius! It was an honor to watch him play live and a privilege to witness his greatness and championship victory during my college years in the States. Love and respect from Saudi Arabia.

[johndotcue]

That's a big part on why Jokic is a great leader in this team. He's important to everything good that's happening in the Nuggets.

[uberneanderthal]

0:22 everyone's like "Jokic isn't a great athlete" and here he is out-running the entire Wolves team as a 7-foot 300lbs point-center

[oceanman]

7:01 he's literally playing chess

[vice]

His basketball iq is lengendary, truly a basketball genius.

[StefunnyStrange]

7:02 The way he moved Braun’s entire body to the side like a child killed me. 😂

[BMTurceanu]

"He is not a great defender but he understand how the offence will operate" - that is the definition of a great defender mate, reading the opponent offence.

[pink]

it's simple, Jokic commits fouls only on purpose. He sees the game quickly in his head and sees when it's worth defending and when not. And he gives priority to the attack, which is the purpose of playing basketball. He simply knows

[阿霖-vb]

that's why I only watch Jokic's game. He terns a game into art.

[dmitrychirkov]

I imagine for coach Malone having Jokic on the team is like playing NBA on a console with controller in hands

[whitneymacdonald]

Great breakdown and selection of clips. Remarkable player.

[debasd]

Jokic is a great defender. People get fooled because he generally doesn't block shots at the rim in order to keep himself out of foul trouble. He could have big block numbers if he wanted, but the trade off is not worth it. He had a few years in the past where foul trouble would consistently mitigate his impact down the stretch of games. Now he consistently provides high level impact on both sides of the ball.

[RoboShaoran]

I was just about to say this is your 13th video titled such and the 8000th on the internet…and it’s all justified! This guy is a monster, and keep up the great work on your end too Daniel :)

[theanswer_]

I see a Daniel Li video, I watch the video... Simple

[Nino-cvdw]

Highest basketball IQ in the league by far. Dude basically coach Denver on the court to be a Top seed every year. But people attempt to glaze LeBron when he doesnt even coach sht and Lakers struggle in play ins with AD carrying him.