Nikola Jokić is having a monster start to 2020, averaging 24.9 points, 10.9 rebounds and 7.1 assists on 54.1 percent shooting since Jan. 2. Tim Connelly, the Nuggets' President of Basketball Operations, has been impressed with his All-Star center's recent surge and had some high praise for the 24-year-old.
"I think right now he's the best player in the NBA," Connelly told Altitude Sports Radio on Friday. "I don't think anyone else impacts winning the way he does right now."
Connelly acknowledged his bias and his comments certainly raised some debate on social media, with Jokić being compared to three MVPs in Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James and James Harden. However, Connelly made his case by pointing to Jokić's unique style of play as a 7-foot point guard and growth as a leader on a relatively young Nuggets team.
"He's embraced leadership, he's embraced this team and he really enjoys his teammates," Connelly explained before later adding. "I've never seen anything like it, a [7-foot] point-center with an unbelievable IQ and a guy who doesn't care about being a superstar. He cares about winning. "He just wants to be one of the guys and make sure we win a lot of games. [He wants] to make sure his impact in games is felt every night."