Nikola JokićGarrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
Jokić appears to be in a three-way tie for 2K’s top spot with Luka and Giannis, but the game itself declared he’s atop the list. Clutch Points’ Tomer Azarly suggested the distinction may be found in the nitty gritty individual attributes that lead to that 97.
Identifying the top player, at least right now, shouldn’t be that complicated, though.
Over the last four years, Jokić has been pretty comfortably the NBA’s best player. In that stretch, he has three MVPs, one Finals MVP and a 13.0 box plus/minus that’s about as far clear as Giannis’ second-place 9.4 as Giannis is clear of 10th.
In those four regular and postseasons, he’s averaged 26.6 points, 12.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks, while shooting 62.9 percent on twos and 36.5 percent from deep.
His Denver Nuggets have outscored opponents by 2,229 points with him on the floor in those 341 games, giving him the highest raw plus-minus, too.
A lot of that impact is obviously derived from an unparalleled combination of scoring, scoring efficiency and playmaking, but even Jokić’s defense has become harder to pick apart.
He’s a dominant defensive rebounder, who has a knack for making big plays and getting into passing lanes at the right times. Plus, he’s huge. And that alone can clog up the floor for opponents.
Simply put, Jokić is the best player in the world. And his 2K rating should reflect that a little more clearly.
Verdict: Too low (just make him a full point clear of second, for crying out loud).
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