"He's so good, there's different levels to the difficulty" - Brook Lopez speaks on the challenge of guarding Nikola Jokic
Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic is one of the hardest players to guard in the world. A 7-foot, 280-pound behemoth who's light on his feet and skilled with the ball, Jokic presents a unique challenge for any defender. And Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez knows this all too well.
After the Nuggets recently defeated the Bucks 113-107, Lopez spoke about the difficulties of guarding Jokic and how his skill set makes him one of the best big men in the game.
Difficult at all levels
While some big men can only score inside or outside, Jokic can do it all. He has a soft touch around the rim, can stretch the floor with his outside shooting, and is a masterful passer. As Lopez stated, "He's so good, there's different levels to the difficulty."
In their last game, Lopez had the primary responsibility of defending Jokic but also got help from his teammates, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis. Brook said that at the end of the day, the Bucks could only hope to contain the Serbian powerhouse, not stop him.
Although Jokic finished with a triple-double of 25 points, 16 rebounds, and ten assists, he took a whopping 25 shots, making only 10 of them—a subpar outing for a player who, for his career, has shot over 55 percent from the field.
"I thought our guys did a good job of reading and deciding when to help for me, when to have my back, and just make it a bit more difficult for him," Lopez shared.
Bucks' defense continues to be a work in progress
With Doc Rivers at the helm of the Bucks, the team sent aggressive double-teams at Jokic to give him different looks and keep him guessing. MVPs like Jokic will eventually figure things out, but it's clear that the Bucks' defensive strategy proved effective in limiting his efficiency.
"Yeah, Brook and Bobby, double, Giannis guarding him," Doc said about the Bucks' defensive approach to guarding Jokic.
"That's exactly what we need. He had to fight for his points tonight. Difficult points. But he's still really good, you know? But when he takes 25 shots, it means a couple of things. No. 1, he couldn't find guys the way he wanted to. And then No. 2, that means he had to force a lot of tough shots. That's what our defense has to be."
