Draymond Green Explains Massive Challenge Defending Nikola Jokic

The Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors have had a bundle of tough matchups ever since Nikola Jokic has burst onto the scene as the MVP talent he's known as today–– even with a top-tier defender like Draymond Green residing on the other side.

When tasked with a matchup like Jokic, there's a bundle of ways he can be dangerous when he's on the floor. He's a walking triple-double who can also chip in for 30 points a night and create an unmatched individual gravity when he's on the floor.

But one way that Green sees Jokic as an extremely tough cover is the way in which he can be mentally unbothered––going as far as calling him the most "mentally tough" player to guard in the NBA.

“There is nothing that really gets under his skin," Green said on a recent appearance on The Draymond Green Show. "There’s nothing that bothers him. Him if he’s missing shots, he’s going to keep playing. You never see him. You know, Joker kind of run like this anyway. So, you know, his shoulders are always slump, but you don’t never see him like in a defeated slump. Like he’s just always going to keep going.”

Is Nikola Jokic the Most "Mentally Tough" Player in the NBA?

It's some high praise from Green to credit Jokic with such a knack. The Warriors' versatile forward has matched up with several All-Star, All-NBA talents throughout his 15-plus years in the NBA, and has found a way to get under the skin of several of them. Jokic, though? The task becomes a bit tougher.

Sure, watching Jokic's viral outburst against the OKC Thunder because of a controversial move from Lu Dort might not match up with Green's claim. But more often than not, he does tend to match that mold of being a mentally tough individual to face.

Jokic is known as a player who quietly dominates the stat sheet in the way that he does to be the annual MVP candidate he's able to be every season. And in doing so, he goes about his business every night as one of the most stoic players in the NBA.

For guys like Green, whose games on the defensive end are predicated on being the enforcer and driving up the emotion and intensity on a nightly basis, doing that same act on a guy like Jokic becomes really challenging. And in turn, can even allow the Nuggets big man to have some big games against him because of it.

Apr 4, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) is guarded by Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) in the third period at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

In the eight games that Jokic has played against Green since the 2020-21 season (Jokic's first MVP season), he's averaged an impressive 25.9 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 9.8 assists while shooting 53.8% from the field.

Still, in that time frame, the Nuggets and Warriors have a collective record of 4-4, showing that even without Draymond finding that slight mental edge, Golden State has been able to deliver––a bit of a testament to show just how Green is able to adapt and still impact the game as one of the better defenders of this generation, even without the extracurricular.