NBA – Despite his monstrous performance, Nikola Jokic criticized by a former champ: “A kick in the butt”.

Par Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Journaliste sportif

A hero in Game 5 between the Nuggets and the Thunder, Nikola Jokic nevertheless left FedExForum with a defeat on his hands (105-112). What’s more, he was reproached by a former champion who was anything but kind to him.

Some were starting to think that the Thunder had found the solution to muzzle him. Nikola Jokic’s statistics in his previous three games had been quite astounding. Clumsy as can be (33.3% shooting, 18.2% 3-pointers), he also struggled to live up to his reputation as a maestro (5 assists on average). However, any doubts surrounding him were dispelled on Tuesday.

With his shooting efficiency fully restored, the Serbian pivot was able to carry the Nuggets like he knows how in Game 5 against Oklahoma City. This earned him praise from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander afterwards. However, his 44 points and 15 rebounds didn’t help his team to victory (105-112) and didn’t entirely protect him from criticism.

Metta Sandiford-Artest’s rebuke of Nikola Jokic

Abandoned by his teammates, Jokic had little to reproach himself for at the end of this game. At least, that’s what most observers thought, but not Metta Sandiford-Artest. Invited to analyze this Nuggets defeat on Nightcap, the former Lakers soldier put the Denver big man in front of his responsibilities and criticized him for… a lack of runs:

Metta Sandiford-Artest: The Joker is probably going to have to kick himself in the butt. What I mean by that is, he should do a little more sprints.

The three-time MVP has certainly had a huge impact on his team, but Artest believes he is to blame for his inadequate defensive efforts:

Metta Sandiford-Artest: He played 44 minutes in this game and averaged over 40 in the playoffs. And if you watch the games, you’ll see that for the opposing offense, it’s too easy against him! That means he’s not making the runs you need to seal a win. He doesn’t make the extra defensive coverages and he doesn’t challenge drives in the money.

Personally, I think that if he’d been in better physical shape, he could have pulled out this game by himself.

The subject of much criticism about his build and physical condition in his career, the Joker has already silenced them in 2023. It remains to be seen whether he can do it again this year, first by creating a stir against OKC.