Big man Nikola Jokic wasn’t exactly considered a top prospect in the 2014 NBA Draft. A whopping 40 picks into the draft, and the Serbian was still on the board.
It wasn’t until the 41st overall pick that he was finally selected by the Denver Nuggets, but Denver’s selection was announced in the middle of a Taco Bell commercial.
Jokic said that he has yet to eat Taco Bell because of the commercial that played during his selection.
“I think I’ve never had Taco Bell just because of that,” Jokic said.
It’s likely that the lion’s share of squads if not all that passed on him would like to go back in time and draft him, as he’s evolved into perhaps the best player in the NBA today.
He is averaging a triple-double of 29.4 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game while shooting 57.4 percent from the field and 44.7 percent from 3-point range. If the season ended today, Jokic would be just the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double over the course of a season. One of the two players who’s accomplished such a feat just so happens to be his current teammate in guard Russell Westbrook.
Jokic has helped the Nuggets play as well as any team in the NBA over the past several weeks. Denver has come out on top in all but one of its last 10 games. It just recently saw its nine-game winning streak come to an end at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.
The Nuggets’ winning ways as of late have the team knocking on the door of the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference standings. Denver is currently less than one game back of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Jokic will try to lead the Nuggets to their second title in franchise history later this year. The team won an NBA title for the first time back in 2023, and Jokic was named Finals MVP for his play against the Miami Heat in the championship series.
Securing a second title in three seasons would seemingly further fortify the argument that Jokic is the league’s greatest player at the moment.
