The problem with Nikola Jokic’s game? Let’s just say it isn’t offense

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has emerged as one of the most dominant players of his era, helping resurrect the relevance of centers in the modern NBA.

Following their 129-106 win against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, the Nuggets have won 50 games, and their star center is once again in the middle of the league’s MVP discussion.

But while the 7-footer is an offensive savant whose elite playmaking has fueled the Nuggets’ rise to the best record (50-24) in the Western Conference, there are questions about his value on the less glamorous end of the floor, and whether his defensive play is good enough to help his team make a deep playoff run.

Those questions were amplified following an embarrassing road loss in San Antonio earlier this month. On March 10, Denver entered its road game against the Spurs as heavy favorites, and they left disappointed after San Antonio targeted Jokic’s rim protection to great effect.

After the game, a compilation of Spurs players making easy layups over Jokic went viral. In some clips, Jokic looked too slow, and in others he appeared apathetic as the younger players blew past him or went over him for easy buckets. Over and over again.

Supercuts of defensive fails often can be misleading without more context, but in this case the numbers back up Jokic’s weaknesses on the defensive end, and that’s an understatement.