Nuggets Drop Perfect Reaction to Nikola Jokic's Shocking ESPN Ranking

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ESPN has now released their entire list of the top-100 NBA players entering the new season, and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was shockingly not ranked first. Coming in second behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jokic's historically great playoff run was not enough to earn him ESPN's top spot. Dropping the perfect reaction to this list, the Nuggets shared this picture on Twitter:
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) October 12, 2023
No caption was necessary, as the Nuggets just shared this picture of Jokic holding both the championship trophy and his Finals MVP trophy. Having certainly earned the right to be called the best player in the NBA, Jokic somehow came in second on ESPN's list. In their explanation, ESPN wrote the following:
"In these rankings, Jokic was edged out by mere percentage points by a fellow two-time MVP big man... If he can improve his defense and perhaps be more aggressive with his 3-point shot -- Jokic hit 46.1% of his 3s in the playoffs -- Jokic could be collecting even more hardware, a second straight championship and finally the No. 1 spot in NBArank."
While Antetokounmpo is incredible, and always deserving of high praise and rankings, what Jokic did last postseason was unprecedented in many ways. Just like Antetokounmpo was considered the best in the world after his 2021 run, Jokic has earned that title this year until someone knocks him off the throne.
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Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.