Nikola Jokic has had a stellar post season for the Denver Nuggets, yet the superstar center is still somewhat underappreciated and underappreciated.
The two-time MVP is averaging 30.4 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.1 assists per game in the post season, and he and his team are just three wins away from winning the NBA championship.
Yet perhaps he is just starting to get the attention and recognition he deserves.
According to NBA Communications, he has been slowly rising up the leaderboard of social media views, and has topped that category for the last 30 days.
Last season, Nikola Jokic ranked 18th among all players in video views on NBA social media platforms.
This regular season, he reached no. 9.
Over the past 30 days, he leads the league in social media video views with 316 million. pic.twitter.com/h4SRHUEpd1
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) June 6, 2023
Hardly anyone expected Jokic to be the superstar he is today when he was only selected in the second round in the 2014 NBA Draft.
After a quiet rookie season, he became a good player, then an All-Star, and then a regular-season MVP.
As Jokic’s game has improved and developed, so have the Nuggets’ fortunes, as they have evolved from a very good playoff team to a legitimate championship contender this season.
For them to claim their first Larry O’Brien Trophy, they’ll need to resolve some shortcomings they’ve had all post-season, as well as stifle the Miami Heat’s 3-point opportunities.
The Heat pulled off an amazing percentage from downtown in their Game 2 win, a game in which Denver blew a 15-point lead and fell apart in the fourth quarter.
Now, Jokic and company will have to win at least one of the next two contests in South Florida to regain home-court advantage and give themselves a real shot at winning it all.
next:
Kentavius Caldwell-Pope explains his thoughts on the Game 2 loss