Anthony Edwards Hypes Nikola Jokic's Defensive IQ, 'That Motherf--ker Cheating'

[warriorfan]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25181545-anthony-edwards-hypes-nikola-jokics-defensive-iq-motherf-ker-cheating



Nikola Jokić's defense baffled Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert during the Minnesota Timberwolves' 140-139 double-overtime win over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.
Edwards told reporters after the game that Jokić knew exactly what play the Timberwolves were about to run just from seeing how Edwards and Gobert lined up following a fourth-quarter timeout, per ESPN's Chris Herring and Tim MacMahon.
"Me and Rudy looked at each other and said, 'How the f--k do he know?'" Edwards said, per Herring and MacMahon. "That motherf--ker cheating, bruh."


Four-time Defensive Player of the Year winner Gobert agreed and joked: "Yeah. We got to launch an investigation."

Multiple people who have played with or coached Jokić told ESPN the star has an uncanny ability to remember opponents' sets.
Nuggets assistant coach Popeye Jones told Herring and MacMahon that Jokić will remember if a team attempts the same play against his team twice, even if it happens the next year.
Denver wing Christian Braun meanwhile told Herring and MacMahon that Jokić will physically move his teammates into place to prepare for a play he knows is coming.
"He's going to look at you and tell you, 'Hey, this is what's coming; this was their call,'" Braun told Herring and MacMahon. "You'll see him looking at the other coach to hear their call. He knows what's coming and knows the best way to guard it."
Jokić and the Nuggets lost all four games against the Timberwolves this season after suffering a three-point loss in November, then conceding blowout defeats in January and March prior to this week's double-overtime loss.
Those matchups still apparently allowed Jokić to figure out some of Minnesota's plays.
Jokić set an NBA record for the highest-scoring triple-double in league history with 61 points in the Nuggets' loss. He played more than 52 minutes and never left the court after starting the second half

After winning three of the last four league MVP awards, Jokić is in contention for a fourth this spring. He could bolster his candidacy by helping the Nuggets fend off the Los Angeles Lakers and hold onto the No. 3 seed in the West over the last five games of the regular season.

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[StrongLurk]

Jokic is a solid defensive player. People need to stop parroting the idea that he is still bad at defense (which will never happen because most NBA fans barely watch actual games and only know what "narratives" and "social media" tells them).

[90sgoat]

Big guy, big brain.

[ImKobe]

Jokic is not a great defensive player.

[Wardell Curry]

People have said that Curry is a bad defender as well for years when he's never been a bad defender, he is just not a lock them down 1 on 1 defender which is quite different from how NBA basketball is played most of the time.

It's the same thing with Jokic.

If a narrative gets out there, it's out there and it stays and that's it. There's not much thinking going on.

[tpols]

Jokic is not a great defensive player.

He doesn't have the physical tools to be but that's not the point. The point is he's actively scouting other teams plays and calling them out Belichick style which isn't something most casual fans realize he does.

Most of you guys just see the surface level shit big dopey white guy who only plays offense but that's not true. He's literally QBing the defense too tellng his teammates what's about to happen so there in position. I remember seeing a YouTube video he was doing the same shit in the Olympics for team Serbia drawing out the plays on a white board that team USA would be running. He knows what stupid Americans are gonna run most teams offenses aren't very sophisticated.

[ILLsmak]

He doesn't have the physical tools to be but that's not the point. The point is he's actively scouting other teams plays and calling them out Belichick style which isn't something most casual fans realize he does.

Most of you guys just see the surface level shit big dopey white guy who only plays offense but that's not true. He's literally QBing the defense too tellng his teammates what's about to happen so there in position. I remember seeing a YouTube video he was doing the same shit in the Olympics for team Serbia drawing out the plays on a white board that team USA would be running. He knows what stupid Americans are gonna run most teams offenses aren't very sophisticated.

only the biggest haters on this site would call him a big dopey white guy who only plays offense haha. But he does have defensive limitations. Still, he's got a big body and it's good enough if he knows where to be. I imagine he defends OK at the rim, too.

-Smak

[ImKobe]

He doesn't have the physical tools to be but that's not the point. The point is he's actively scouting other teams plays and calling them out Belichick style which isn't something most casual fans realize he does.

Most of you guys just see the surface level shit big dopey white guy who only plays offense but that's not true. He's literally QBing the defense too tellng his teammates what's about to happen so there in position. I remember seeing a YouTube video he was doing the same shit in the Olympics for team Serbia drawing out the plays on a white board that team USA would be running. He knows what stupid Americans are gonna run most teams offenses aren't very sophisticated.

This isn't saying much about his ability on defense. This isn't the NFL man. Teams scout each other and players do film study and the plays aren't that different from one team to another with a few exceptions, it's not that hard to grasp for an NBA level player.

He can't keep up with smaller guys on defense and is caught out of position all the time. Luka and Lebron know the plays as well but what does that really do for them if they can't stay in front of their guy?

He can do a decent job vs. other Centers 1 on 1 and he's ok as a rim protector, but at the end of the day he's not a great defensive player. He gambles a lot to get deflections/steals because he's not able to spend more energy on that side of the court and that's okay, but we don't need to pretend like he's an elite 2-way player.

[tpols]

This isn't saying much about his ability on defense. This isn't the NFL man. Teams scout each other and players do film study and the plays aren't that different from one team to another with a few exceptions, it's not that hard to grasp for an NBA level player.


Of course it does. Communicating to your teammates exactly what play the opposing offense is gonna run when you spot it is tremendously impactful even if it's not physical. He's literally QBing the defense and giving them super important Intel.

You are also VASTLY overestimating the intelligence and preparation of a lot of NBA players. There's levels to this shit and Jokic is like Einstien compared to a lot of them.

There's a reason a superstar like Ant Edwards is accusing Yolk of cheating because he knows their plays. Why would he say that if everybody was doing it like you say? Everybody watches film and remembers and applies it at a super high level right? Not even remotely true.

[GOBB]

Ant man is a brown noser. If it ain’t Shai it’s Jokic. Weird.

[tpols]

Ant man is a brown noser. If it ain’t Shai it’s Jokic. Weird.

Or maybe he's just keeping it real and giving us an insider perspective most didn't know about.

[Neal Romer]

This isn't saying much about his ability on defense. This isn't the NFL man. Teams scout each other and players do film study and the plays aren't that different from one team to another with a few exceptions, it's not that hard to grasp for an NBA level player.

He can't keep up with smaller guys on defense and is caught out of position all the time. Luka and Lebron know the plays as well but what does that really do for them if they can't stay in front of their guy?

He can do a decent job vs. other Centers 1 on 1 and he's ok as a rim protector, but at the end of the day he's not a great defensive player. He gambles a lot to get deflections/steals because he's not able to spend more energy on that side of the court and that's okay, but we don't need to pretend like he's an elite 2-way player.

No he doesnt. Hes not out there playing the perimeter passing lanes. He doesnt get close enough to guys on the perimeter to get the kind of steals that risk leaving an open lane if you miss.

He plays the paint and when guys come in, he anticipates their tendencies or where theyre looking to disrupt the ball. Thats where a high IQ comes in defensively.

His steals require the least gambling of anyone. Youre just making shit up to defend a position youre dug into.

Your basketball brain isnt good. Respectfully.

[Neal Romer]

People have said that Curry is a bad defender as well for years when he's never been a bad defender, he is just not a lock them down 1 on 1 defender which is quite different from how NBA basketball is played most of the time.

It's the same thing with Jokic.

If a narrative gets out there, it's out there and it stays and that's it. There's not much thinking going on.

Also, this ^

[FKAri]

This isn't saying much about his ability on defense. This isn't the NFL man. Teams scout each other and players do film study and the plays aren't that different from one team to another with a few exceptions, it's not that hard to grasp for an NBA level player.

He can't keep up with smaller guys on defense and is caught out of position all the time. Luka and Lebron know the plays as well but what does that really do for them if they can't stay in front of their guy?

He can do a decent job vs. other Centers 1 on 1 and he's ok as a rim protector, but at the end of the day he's not a great defensive player. He gambles a lot to get deflections/steals because he's not able to spend more energy on that side of the court and that's okay, but we don't need to pretend like he's an elite 2-way player.

I can't agree with any of this. Even the parts where you're praising him are incorrect. He's NOT a good rim protector. He's an awful rim protector(for his position). He's adequate to great at everything else defensively. He is rarely if ever out of position which is the best part of his defensive game. His steals are not out of position gambles. He's in the right places and just putting his arms out and he's got fast hands which are disruptive anytime he's put in action. He's not even bad for his size at keeping guys in front but he can't offer a contest on the move so if a guy's on the move beside him it's a layup.

TLDR: He has very fast hands, good feet, can run, is smart, makes great reads, but he can't jump off 2, off 1, with a plant or on the move.

[tpols]

No he doesnt. Hes not out there playing the perimeter passing lanes. He doesnt get close enough to guys on the perimeter to get the kind of steals that risk leaving an open lane if you miss.

He plays the paint and when guys come in, he anticipates their tendencies or where theyre looking to disrupt the ball. Thats where a high IQ comes in defensively.

His steals require the least gambling of anyone. Youre just making shit up to defend a position youre dug into.

Your basketball brain isnt good. Respectfully.

Yea I was gonna say... jokic almost never gambles. He always plays it extremely safe. Maybe he was thinking of Luka who actually does gamble a decent amount.

Either way, ImKobes post just proves the ignorance that surrounds Jokic defense. Literally saying shit that's like... the opposite of reality and acting confident about it.

:roll:

[warriorfan]

Yea I was gonna say... jokic almost never gambles. He always plays it extremely safe. Maybe he was thinking of Luka who actually does gamble a decent amount.

Either way, ImKobes post just proves the ignorance that surrounds Jokic defense. Literally saying shit that's like... the opposite of reality and acting confident about it.

:roll:

That type of statement is more of a repeated talking point more than an actual take.

[StrongLurk]

Jokic is not a great defensive player.

No one is saying he's "great". But he's clearly rounds out to an average defensive center when factoring in everything he does on defense.

[ImKobe]

I can't agree with any of this. Even the parts where you're praising him are incorrect. He's NOT a good rim protector. He's an awful rim protector(for his position). He's adequate to great at everything else defensively. He is rarely if ever out of position which is the best part of his defensive game. His steals are not out of position gambles. He's in the right places and just putting his arms out and he's got fast hands which are disruptive anytime he's put in action. He's not even bad for his size at keeping guys in front but he can't offer a contest on the move so if a guy's on the move beside him it's a layup.

TLDR: He has very fast hands, good feet, can run, is smart, makes great reads, but he can't jump off 2, off 1, with a plant or on the move.

He's a bad defender and it's not because of his jumping ability. He is often out of position gambling for steals and busy watching the ball. Morons on this site are calling him Bill Belichick on defense as if he isn't busy watching the ball half the time and you see his guys run into flare screens but ok.

[warriorfan]

He's a bad defender and it's not because of his jumping ability. He is often out of position gambling for steals and busy watching the ball. Morons on this site are calling him Bill Belichick on defense as if he isn't busy watching the ball half the time and you see his guys run into flare screens but ok.

How would you rate his overall defense on a scale from 1-10 with 5 being league average?

[Im Still Ballin]

He's a bad defender and it's not because of his jumping ability. He is often out of position gambling for steals and busy watching the ball. Morons on this site are calling him Bill Belichick on defense as if he isn't busy watching the ball half the time and you see his guys run into flare screens but ok.

He has the strongest regularized adjusted DREB% impact in the 1996-97 to 2024-25 play-by-play database. That wouldn't be possible if he was constantly out of position. His positioning is one of his defensive strengths.

I think you're mistaking a deliberate pick-and-roll coverage (hedging) for bad positioning. Read the article; DEN often uses him higher up at the level of the screen.

[warriorfan]

Watching post prime Bogut still dominate defensively opened my eyes to some things. I thought of elite defenders as guys with good wingspans and good lateral movement, or explosive help defenders that can cover a lot of ground very quickly. Proper positioning and anticipation can go an extremely long way.

I’ve also heard Draymond reference multiple times about how Bogut taught him how to play defense.