How does it feel to be a pass-first big man?
I want to switch to talking about Joker for a moment. My question is: with all these bigs who can pass like this, when you’re coming up and developing, how do you calculate whether to look to score first or to organize the offense first?
Obviously, every situation is different depending on the opponent and the circumstances, but for the new generation of big men, is it better to learn to be pass-first and let the scoring come later?

Answer:
Not necessarily. First of all, we’re all very different players. For me, I wasn’t scoring at that kind of pace. I think it’s about making quick reads and playing instinctively.
When you’re a passing big, you make everyone around you better. Being able to read quickly off the handoff and knowing where your easy baskets will come from— for me it was rolling to the rim, while others pop out more.
Having the ball and making decisions is fun, but you have to decide quickly and make sure your defender is not crowding you. That depends a lot on understanding your teammates: how they like to receive the ball, how they like to finish.
Everything usually starts with the handoff: does the defender go under or over? If he goes over the top, it opens up my game.

On the nuances of being a pass-first big:
It’s not just about the handoff, but also the speed of the read and instinct. These are split-second decisions.
There’s also the technical side: pass fakes, changing dribble direction, shifting the defense. Those plays don’t show up on the stat sheet, but they can decide whether a possession ends in a basket or not.

On Jokic’s crazy tip shot:
That nearly 70-foot tip attempt that almost went in—honestly, that’s all you need to see to understand how special Jokic is. Three seconds left? Just throw it to Joker.
He’s my favorite player to watch. There’s a false narrative that Jokic doesn’t care, and that’s just not true.
Watching him during timeouts, he’s animated, talking, directing teammates. Jokic just doesn’t want fame or attention. But you don’t play at that level if you don’t truly care about basketball.

Jokic makes the game look easy:
He’s averaging 30 points, 4 rebounds, and 11 assists; he scores or assists on 50% of his team’s points; he’s shooting 56% from three and 67% true shooting.
What’s crazy is that he makes it all look effortless.
Like Steph Curry’s pregame warm-up, Jokic has a special routine focused entirely on touch—especially around the rim. That’s what he works on every single day.

How do you defend Jokic?
Honestly, you can’t stop him.
He’s the most dominant offensive force in the league right now: he can shoot threes, dominate the paint, read the game, and create for others. We’ve never seen a big man like this.
Even though he doesn’t look athletic, he defends well, directs teammates during timeouts, and is constantly pointing where people need to be. Everything in Denver’s offense has rhythm, and it all starts with Jokic.

If I had to guard him, I’d try to deny him the ball and be as physical as possible. The last person I saw really bother him was Dwight Howard in the bubble—extremely physical and frustrating for Jokic.

What is Jokic underrated at?
His conditioning. He’s in much better shape than people realize and constantly beats other bigs down the floor, creating mismatches.
And don’t forget—he plays in Denver. The altitude there is real. Training there every day is like having a “third lung.”
By the fourth quarter, Jokic runs the floor hard because he knows his opponent is tired. That’s the game within the game.
Running the floor doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but it wins games. When I see the opposing big exhausted and I still have another gear, that’s how you win the fourth quarter—and Jokic does it extremely well.