Story by
Roy Hibbert Speaks on Experience Playing With Nikola Jokic in Denver
- Story by
- Roy Hibbert Speaks on Experience Playing With Nikola Jokic in Denver
Roy Hibbert may be retired now, but his last season in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets from 2016-17 gave him some special insight into the early years of now-superstar Nikola Jokic and Hibbert was happy to share some stories about the Serbian center when he appeared on FanDuel TV's "Run It Back" program.
The former Nuggets teammates crossed paths at very different stages of their career, with Hibbert in his last NBA season and Jokic in his second and even though Jokic was far from being fully realized as one of the game's premier players, still four seasons away from his first MVP award, Hibbert saw early signs of the player Jokic would be.
Advertisement
One of the stories that Hibbert told on "Run It Back" speaks to one of Jokic's most well-known traits: his apparent nonchalance about the game of basketball as a whole.
Charlotte Hornets center Roy Hibbert (55) looks to dunk he ball through the Portland Trail Blazers guard Shabazz Napier (6), forward Noah Vonleh (21) and guard forward Pat Connaughton (5) during the second half of the game at the Spectrum Center. Hornets win 107-85. Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images
Sharing Stories
Hibbert said that Jokic would often play ping pong before games and for him to see that level of ease from a player who would then go on to drop a triple-double in the game that night was amazing to him.
He wasn't dismissing Jokic's work ethic altogether though.
He added that Jokic "is able to work" and he was more remarking on the sheer awe that it inspires to see someone who apparently doesn't take the game as seriously, or at least doesn't break preparation down to a science, to still go out and be one of the best players on the court.
That being said, now that nearly a decade has passed and Jokic has won three MVPs, a championship and all but redefined what a center is capable in the NBA today, Hibbert isn't convinced that he's the outright "best" player in the game.
Advertisement
Ranking Jokic
"He's up there. Top-3, top-4. He's one of the top players, but I don't think he's the top right now," Hibbert said.
Just a few years ago, this may not have been a question at all, but there's been an infusion of talent that, even with Jokic's dominance, does put his dominance in question.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has risen as the main opponent to Jokic's reign over the NBA and has already beaten him out for the MVP the last two seasons and with the rise of Luka Doncic as possibly the best premier scorer in the NBA today and Victor Wembanyama 's continued growth, it's fair for Hibbert to question Jokic's top spot.
Advertisement
Of course, Hibbert has been an observer for most of Jokic's career and only has an intimate knowledge of him in one season, but what he knew about Jokic then explains some of Jokic's most notable characteristics now.
