The Denver Nuggets have won the 2023 NBA Championship, becoming the fifth team in five years to win the title. The last repeat was in 2018 when the Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Since 2019, when the Toronto Raptors took home the Larry O'Brien championship trophy, a new winner has been found in every single season, with the Los Angeles Lakers winning in 2020, the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, the Warriors in 2022, and now the Nuggets in 2023.
This fact further underlines how there isn't a set recipe for success in the NBA. Some teams like big guards. Others like two-way wings. Some, like the Nuggets, have a center who completely breaks the game and redefines what a center even is. The Warriors have the two best shooters of all-time.
If anything, teams can only agree on one thing. To win a championship, you need top-tier talent, however it comes.
So let's get into Nikola Jokić and how talent gave the Nuggets their first championship.
The 28-year-old superstar just averaged 30.2 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in the Finals against Bam Adebayo, one of the league's best defenders, and did so without ever finding himself in trouble.
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That's due to several factors. One being Jokić's frankly ridiculous touch as a scorer. In the past, Jokić was reluctant to put up big numbers. He was perfectly satisfied with whatever number stood next to his name in the scoring column, as long as the Nuggets won.
While he still doesn't care about numbers, Jokić evolved to the point where he recognized the need for more offensive production on his end. After all, he was clearly the most talented scorer on the team, and settling for around 20 points per night meant an ineffective way of building an attack.
As such, Jokić began to lean into his inner bucket getter. He's not only got the ability to connect on small hook shots deep in the paint, but he can take literal jump shots from five feet out, while also cashing in on floaters, and push shots. The variety of his interior game keeps growing, and it keeps defenders guessing. Even Adebayo, a highly disciplined and patient interior defender, could only do so much.
Jokić ended up converting on over 72% of his shot attempts within three feet of the basket in the postseason, and 56% of his shots from three-to-ten feet.
To balance his interior efficiency, Jokić has the ability to step outside, and keep defenders on their toes. During the postseason, he drained 46.1% of his 3.8 nightly three-point attempts, and converted on 79.9% of his free throws, further proving that fouling him doesn't do opponents any good.
It should be clear as day that Jokić is an elite scorer, and an immensely efficient one at that. And that fact only makes his passing that much more potent.
Jokić is breaking our understanding of what a center is, as he's routinely flirting with 10 assist averages, and is already regarded as the best passing big men of all-time.
There isn't a pass he cannot make. He'll find cutters running along the baseline. He'll make 50-foot outlet passes to teammates who leak out. He'll initiate dribble-hand-off action. He'll whip passes to corners while on the move. And yes, he'll pass out of the post, which is where teams have no idea how to stop him.
By being able to leverage both his scoring, and his passing, Jokić allows himself to have full control.
If defenses send doubles his way, it's usually an open shot on the perimeter for someone else. Sometimes, Jokić will keep his head up, looking as if he's seeking to pass out of the post. Defenders will spot this, and communicate to their teammates to stay home on shooters. Jokić will then happily take the one-on-one matchup, of which few - if any - can stop him.
Heck, Jokić is even a major asset on the offensive glass, and will use any opportunity to put that ball back up and in, if he's close by. There's no one area he's dominant in, as much as he's dominant in every area, especially within 15 feet.
No team has come close to finding a solution. You can't trap him. You can't play him straight up. You can't sag off. You can't close in tight. You can't do anything. Jokić is a savant, and he'll exploit whatever minor element of the floor the defense relinquishes. He'll pick you apart, methodically, until you have nothing left to counter with.
The Nuggets have done a tremendous job building a team around Jokić. Players understand his worth, they understand they need to play off of him, and they accept those roles because he's proven to get them involved.
And that's the final Jokić weapon. The leadership.
Players that work alongside him routinely sing his praises. He's unselfish - sometimes to a fault - and takes great joy in watching others have their day. If a teammate has it going, like Aaron Gordon did in Game 4 when he scored 27 points, Jokić will actively take a step back and let his teammates get to work, while celebrating their process and making a concerted effort in getting them the ball.
It's ultimately simple basketball, but nevertheless Jokić has mastered the act of simplicity to such a point where he's become the most devastating offensive force in basketball. And now he'll get a ring for his efforts.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
