“To Have A Duplicate Clone Of Myself”: Nikola Jokic Can’t Seem To Understand How To Play Against Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid And KAT

Being one of the biggest teams in the NBA, size-wise has arguably been the biggest reason behind the Denver Nuggets’ success. However, they now face a team with much more length who are known for their suffocating defense. After their loss in Game 1 of this series, Nikola Jokic was asked to comment on the Minnesota Timberwolves frontcourt big three (Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Naz Reid), and what he could do to be more impactful against them. The Joker’s response has left social media in an absolute frenzy.

Nikola Jokic stands at 6ft 11” and weighs almost 285 lbs, per NBA.com. There is rarely any player in the NBA that can match his size and skill. However, the Wolves having three players of a similar stature gives them a huge advantage on the defensive end.

In fact, after Jokic failed to lead the Nuggets to a win at the Ball Arena, he hilariously even revealed that he would need to clone himself to help have a positive impact on the subsequent games.

“To have a duplicate clone of myself,” Jokic said, per Dave McMenamin.

The two-time MVP’s stat line was pretty visually appealing – 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists. However, one needs to dive deep into the advanced stats to see just how good of a job the Minnesota Timberwolves were doing of defending against him.

After recording 16.2 rebounds in the opening-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Serb was restricted to merely 8 rebounds tonight. Apart from committing a season-high 7 turnovers (per ESPN), the reigning Finals MVP also had a slightly subpar shooting display, efficiency-wise, as per his standards. The 44% shooting from the field that he recorded has been the lowest since the 17^th March clash against the Dallas Mavericks.

The stat sheet may not completely show it, but the trio of Gobert, Towns, and Reid had Jokic visibly exhausted. With the three playing excellently on the defensive end of the floor, Anthony Edwards was able to carry a much higher offensive load, resulting in quite the performance.

Anthony Edwards and Nikola Jokic shared praise following an entertaining duel

As expected, Game 1 of the Wolves-Nuggets series was an action-packed thriller that witnessed 6 lead changes and 10 ties before Chris Finch’s boys were able to pull away with a six-point win. And individually as well, the Anthony Edwards-Nikola Jokic duel lived up to its hype.

While Jokic began the series by recording a near 32-point triple-double, Ant-Man lodged one of his most efficient performances yet. Shooting the ball at a 58.5% FG, 42.9% 3FG, and 100% FT splits, the 6ft 4” combo guard finished the night with 43 points, per NBA.com. The 22-year-old was also able to record a box plus-minus of +10 due to the 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 ‘stocks’ (steals + rebounds) that he was able to put up.

After seeing him trash-talk all throughout the first-round series against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns, it was also great to see him lauding his opponent for a change. During the postgame conference, the two-time All-Star disclosed enjoying the battle against the best player and team.

“Going against the best player in the world is always fun… going against the best team in the world is always fun,” Ant said.

Jokic seemed to share his opponent’s sentiments after witnessing Edwards put up an impressive display.

“I have a huge respect for Anthony Edwards. You have to enjoy and respect somebody like that,” the Nuggets leader said.

Fans are in for one entertaining series if Game 1 is any indication. With the Wolves now up 1-0 in the series, the ball now seems to be in the reigning champions’ park. Can they come out with the right countermeasure for this blistering, young side?