The 2023-2024 NBA Season

[fightinfunbags]

Well then if some Internet poster on a sports forum says that then I guess he knows more than the people actually in the game.

“People actually in the game” say he’s a poor defender as well.

 

[Duffman]

“People actually in the game” say he’s a poor defender as well.

I see some people saying he’s bad, some people saying he’s good, and some people saying he’s in the middle.

Wow kinda just like this board

 

[DJ]

This argument between the Philly fan and the Denver frontrunner is hilarious.

 

[fightinfunbags]

I see some people saying he’s bad, some people saying he’s good, and some people saying he’s in the middle.

Wow kinda just like this board

Who among basketball talking heads says Jokic is a good defender? Best I’ve ever heard as a defense of his defense is that “he’s better than his reputation” or “he’s better than you think.” All I’ve ever seen is an argument put forth that he’s competent.

 

[eaglesnut]

Yo that’s crazy, Joker is the 5th best defensive rated player this year, that must mean Embiid is number one according to your logic.

2024 NBA Individual Defensive Rating Rankings | StatMuse

Rudy Gobert had the best defensive rating this season, with a 104.4 rating.

www.statmuse.com

Never mind that Jokic in 24 is a better rated defenseman than Embiid was last season. This season Embiid would be number one in offense and defense according to you all.

Yes, Embiid is absurdly dominant now that he's in his prime.

 

[tlance]

No…it’s not. These numbers that media are so in love with tell that story. They’re going to actualize it as well when they continue to foolishly embrace analytics and analytics only in their votes.

And yet when the world of basketball leans heavily upon analytics this is the picture created.

Then stop saying you value two way play. You’re a liar.

He has always been better than Jokic. Injury doesn’t change that reality.

It does for sure.

100%.

Can’t be the best player of an era when you miss half the games.

 

[tlance]

Yo that’s crazy, Joker is the 5th best defensive rated player this year, that must mean Embiid is number one according to your logic.

2024 NBA Individual Defensive Rating Rankings | StatMuse

Rudy Gobert had the best defensive rating this season, with a 104.4 rating.

www.statmuse.com

Never mind that Jokic in 24 is a better rated defenseman than Embiid was last season. This season Embiid would be number one in offense and defense according to you all.

Defensive rating is a garbage stat when taken by itself,

I think Jokic is a solid team defender.

But anything that has him better than average is wrong.

 

[DJ]

Defensive rating is a garbage stat when taken by itself,

I think Jokic is a solid team defender.

But anything that has him better than average is wrong.

Yep.

 

[DJ]

And average for Joker would be a little generous IMO.

 

[Duffman]

Who among basketball talking heads says Jokic is a good defender? Best I’ve ever heard as a defense of his defense is that “he’s better than his reputation” or “he’s better than you think.” All I’ve ever seen is an argument put forth that he’s competent.

Here’s just two I found doing a quick Google search


here’s one I found talking about his defense specifically in the postseason last year

The Leap: Nikola Jokić's dominance as a pick-and-roll defender

www.nba.com

here’s one that calls him good but unconventional

The Defense of Nikola Jokic’s Defense

www.theringer.com

 

[thunderc]

Here’s just two I found doing a quick Google search


here’s one I found talking about his defense specifically in the postseason last year

The Leap: Nikola Jokić's dominance as a pick-and-roll defender

www.nba.com

here’s one that calls him good but unconventional

The Defense of Nikola Jokic’s Defense

www.theringer.com

Unconventional in that guys score on him at will I guess

 

[DJ]

Yes, Embiid is absurdly dominant now that he's in his prime when he is on the floor.

Fixed.

 

[fightinfunbags]

Here’s just two I found doing a quick Google search


here’s one I found talking about his defense specifically in the postseason last year

The Leap: Nikola Jokić's dominance as a pick-and-roll defender

www.nba.com

here’s one that calls him good but unconventional

The Defense of Nikola Jokic’s Defense

www.theringer.com

Meh. Never heard of either of these guys. I bet loaded in this article is analytical nonsense that props up his defensive rebounding. He rebounds because it’s literally the only thing he can do positively on the defensive end. We all saw what happens when he’s taken out to the perimeter. He hides in the lane and yet isn’t a rim protector. His value on defense lies in him “just being big” and the experience inside the same defensive system he’s played in his whole career. He’s just not a good defender.

 

[thunderc]

Meh. Never heard of either of these guys. I bet loaded in this article is analytical nonsense that props up his defensive rebounding. He rebounds because it’s literally the only thing he can do positively on the defensive end. We all saw what happens when he’s taken out to the perimeter. He hides in the lane and yet isn’t a rim protector. His value on defense lies in him “just being big” and the experience inside the same defensive system he’s played in his whole career. He’s just not a good defender.

The truth is he is not athletic enough to be a good defender

 

[Duffman]

The truth is he is not athletic enough to be a good defender

Which athletic ability isnt always the most deciding factor. This is a part of the article that called him unconventional that points out his flaws and yet states what he does right.

He doesn’t swat shots into the fourth row like Jaren Jackson Jr. or single-handedly bury sets in a tomb like Draymond Green. There aren’t any breathtaking sequences out on an island in which he shuts down someone a foot smaller than he is. Denver regularly tweaks its defensive coverages (more on that later), but it isn’t the most adaptable group we’ve ever seen. And countless Nuggets possessions this season have ended with Jokic making business decisions at the basket. His faults are transparent.

But there’s more charm than people realize, too. It’s found in the fact that—just like his singular offensive production—so little about Jokic’s defensive approach is archetypal. Sound positioning, preemptive reads, and constant communication from the back line are harder to track than direct confrontations at the rim, but they’re just as, if not more, important. For a variety of reasons, including effort, execution, size, and intelligence, Jokic’s overall contributions on that end—as someone whose team has been better on defense when he’s on the court in every year of his career except one—are more positive than not.

 

[thunderc]

Which athletic ability isnt always the most deciding factor. This is a part of the article that called him unconventional that points out his flaws and yet states what he does right.

He doesn’t swat shots into the fourth row like Jaren Jackson Jr. or single-handedly bury sets in a tomb like Draymond Green. There aren’t any breathtaking sequences out on an island in which he shuts down someone a foot smaller than he is. Denver regularly tweaks its defensive coverages (more on that later), but it isn’t the most adaptable group we’ve ever seen. And countless Nuggets possessions this season have ended with Jokic making business decisions at the basket. His faults are transparent.

But there’s more charm than people realize, too. It’s found in the fact that—just like his singular offensive production—so little about Jokic’s defensive approach is archetypal. Sound positioning, preemptive reads, and constant communication from the back line are harder to track than direct confrontations at the rim, but they’re just as, if not more, important. For a variety of reasons, including effort, execution, size, and intelligence, Jokic’s overall contributions on that end—as someone whose team has been better on defense when he’s on the court in every year of his career except one—are more positive than not.

“More positive then not” in this league gets you close to the ballpark of being average.

 

[Stakesarehigh]

Another guy who's value was stupid low.

 

[Stakesarehigh]

I will say it again. If we could post ISO Jokic his value would crater. He is an adequate defender working within the system and his value is also propped up by the fact his backup ALWAYS fucking sucks.

If he had prime DeAndre Jordan backing him up his defensive value would drop.

 

[bksballer89]

As I said last night he cries a lot and happy they are cracking down on his bs

 

[bksballer89]

My favorite city jerseys