Mike Malone hits back at Jokic's critics: 'They're just tired of him' / News - Basketnews.com

Nuggets head coach Mike Malone wanted to point out that the team hasn't lost when Jokic got a triple-double. He speculated that maybe the critics are just tired of the greatness from the non-athletic center from Serbia.

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Nikola Jokic is having a great season once again, and once again he's one of the frontrunners to win the MVP prize, which has sparked a debate in the US media.

Nikola Jokic

MIN:33.55PTS:24.62 (68.84%)REB:11.69As:10.02ST:1.27BL:0.65TO:3.56GM:55ProfileNBA2022/2023

Recently, former NBA player Kendrick Perkins made some fiery comments, accusing the league of double standards against black players. He's also been one of the main proponents of the idea that Nikola Jokic is stat-padding.

Asked about this during a media availability after practice, Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone wanted to pay attention to the team's record when the Serbian center gets a triple-double.

"Nikola does great without a stat pad. Nikola is the central hub in everything we do on the offensive end of the floor. Just because he's that skilled to be a 10-assist per game center, don't hold that against him. He's going to make the right play. The most important thing is this - I know we're 24-0 when he has a triple-double," the coach said.

"People want to construe that as stat padding. Well, I hope he continues to do it. When he gets triple-doubles, we win," Malone continued. "When he contributes in all those different ways, that allows us to play at a much higher level. What's our record when he doesn't get a triple-double? (.500) There in and of itself speaks of his greatness and the importance of his to continue and pad his stats."

Later on, the Nuggets coach provided a more detailed answer on what he thought might be going on.

"I do know from my eight years, and I do know from my conversations with Nikola that the individual awards is not what drives Nikola. When he wakes up in the morning, he goes 'yeah, 3-time MVP, I got this', no, it's how we're going to beat Memphis tomorrow nigh," the specialist explained. "I think after a while for whatever reason maybe it's because of greatness. Teams hate the dude because the dude's been great for a long time."

"So maybe they're just tired of this player, a non-athletic player from Sombor, Serbia who continues to kick everybody's ass. Maybe people have a hard time with that, I don't know," Malone pushed back. "For him to say that 'you know, I'm padding my stats', it probably signals that maybe something touched a nerve. He knows he's a basketball purist. He's not doing anything to pump his own numbers, it's not in his nature."

With 44 wins and 19 losses, the Nuggets have the best record in the Western Conference. Nikola Jokic is averaging 24.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 10 assists per game.

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