Why does Nikola Jokic get a pass on the defensive end?

[liam]

How come you can be the MVP and be a less than average defender?

[liam]

I love Jokic and think he's a great player but I think he's a substandard defender. I think he plays defense smart but he can't defend like Giannis or Embiid. Where would you rank Jokic on defense among centers?

[Phantom255x]

He puts up video game numbers and he still impacts winning.

But yeah, his defense isn't the greatest. One slight advantage he does have though is, there honestly aren't that many "bonafide elite" centers in the entire league, and on some occasions like Embiid who is hurt or load manages, he avoids having to play him during the season. So he might get cooked against the likes of Giannis or Embiid or AD but he doesn't play them as often during the season so it's overlooked. And he's still usually an automatic 30/10/8+ guy most nights.

He's not a terrible defender but he's not great either. In some of their series against the Lakers in recent history, AD has done well but Jokic also gets good help from the likes of MPJ and Gordon.

[Goldstar88]

Luka gets a pass for the most part as well. Denver being a horrific defensive team seems to be catching up with them, though. Losing to the Wizards was just embarrassing.

[Vermont Green]

How come you can be the MVP and be a less than average defender?

His defense was good enough to lead a team to a title.  Not saying he is that rim protecting type of big but how many of them are there these days anyway.  He is a perennial MVP candidate because he is absolutely dominant when on the floor.  Someone said his ON/OFF was +30 or something like that.  Why wouldn't he be an MVP candidate?

[Who]

Jokic is an above average defender. He controls the paint well. His positioning is excellent. He intimidates a lot of drives and contests a lot of shots inside of 15 feet.

He is not a well rounded defender. That is not due to any lack of application or intelligence but a lack of foot-speed. He does as well as you could expect him to do on the perimeter. He plays more drop coverage and he does a very good job of it.

A lot of centers could learn from how Jokic plays defense. He achieves more defensively with less athletic talent. If those other superior athletes watched and learned from him, they could become terrific defensive players with their superior physical tools.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Because he's a good defender. He's really quite underrated on that side of the floor. No DPOY candidate, but I'd take him on defense over a guy like Wendell Carter Jr., KAT, Vucevic, Zubac, and Nurkic, all of which are on playoff teams or "contenders".

His positioning is good. He's an excellent defensive rebounder. And he uses his hands well to get a lot of tips. He also averages 2.5 stocks a game. That's pretty good.

People assume his defense is bad because he looks slow and isn't intimidating as a rim protector.

[Big333223]

As others have said, he's actually a fine defender. It was a weakness early in his career but it hasn't been for a while now.

[Yuckabuck33]

Jokic is fine on defense. What I don't get is all the Luka love. At the beginning of the season, heck even in the summer, people were picking him as the favorite for MVP. How can someone get MVP playing defense the way Luka did in the Finals? We hunted him almost every play! His defense stinks and he's a ballhog who doesn't make his teammates better. I'd rather give it to Jokic for another year.

[Kernewek]

Jokic is fine on defense. What I don't get is all the Luka love. At the beginning of the season, heck even in the summer, people were picking him as the favorite for MVP. How can someone get MVP playing defense the way Luka did in the Finals? We hunted him almost every play! His defense stinks and he's a ballhog who doesn't make his teammates better. I'd rather give it to Jokic for another year.

Both Luka and Jokic are good enough that they can get you to the Finals as the best player on the team. As noted already, Jokic's defense is such that you can win a title with him as your best player. That's why they get passes.

[Yuckabuck33]

Jokic is fine on defense. What I don't get is all the Luka love. At the beginning of the season, heck even in the summer, people were picking him as the favorite for MVP. How can someone get MVP playing defense the way Luka did in the Finals? We hunted him almost every play! His defense stinks and he's a ballhog who doesn't make his teammates better. I'd rather give it to Jokic for another year.

Both Luka and Jokic are good enough that they can get you to the Finals as the best player on the team. As noted already, Jokic's defense is such that you can win a title with him as your best player. That's why they get passes.

Are teams hunting Jokic in the pick and roll?
(I don't know because I don't have the time to watch other teams besides the Cs.)

[keevsnick]

I don't think Jokic is a bad defender. He's very large, has good hands and is smart about his positioning. He's a fairly solid defender, above average even, and a ELITE defensive rebounder which matters. The Nuggets defense has actually been BETTER the last 4 years with him on court vs off.