What Are the ‘Jokic Rules’?
Did these rules work?
If you’ve been following the NBA the past 5 years or so, you’d know that the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic is a superb player.
He’s a 7-0 center who can do everything (actually).
Jokic can score like a guard and a center. He can pass the ball like the best playmakers in the league. He has good, quick hands, similar to players half his size. And he’s one of the smartest players ever.
As a result, he’s been racking up triple-doubles. He has 164 in his 10-year career, good for second place on the All-Time list.
And if that’s not impressing you, maybe this historic statline during the 2024-25 season will.
On April 1, the Joker recorded a 60-point triple-double with 61 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. This is the highest triple-double in NBA history.
These 61 points were also the most points scored by a single player this season.
Jokic has been a force to be reckoned with, and teams have been trying to figure out a way to stop him.
One-time NBA champion Dwight Howard recommends teams find a center who can make Jokic work on both ends of the court.
But that’s difficult because there aren’t many centers with his size, skills, and mobility.
Instead, teams have resorted to developing the “Jokic Rules,” much like how the “Jordan Rules” were developed by the Detroit Pistons to stop Michael Jordan in the late 80s and early 90s.
Here are the guidelines, via Denver Sports:
Pack the paint
Do not let Jokic touch it
Start a forward on Jokic with the center roaming off the Nuggets’ worst shooter.
Front Jokic anywhere on the floor, with backside help coming below the free-throw line
Prefer that Jokic goes left
Off-ball defenders are in the passing lanes and sometimes facing Jokic rather than their assignment
When Jokic has it, be extremely physical and force the refs to call fouls
Drag Jokic down on offensive rebounds
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Now, back to the article…
Are These Rules Working?
To answer that question, I’m going with yes and no.
Jokic is still playing the best basketball of his career and putting up ridiculous numbers.
In the 2024-25 season, he averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists. These numbers are better than any of his MVP seasons.
But the Nuggets didn’t play as well as last season.
They won 50 games this season and are the fourth seed, which isn’t bad whatsoever. But the previous season, they won 57 games and were tied for the Western Conference’s first seed.
Individually, it doesn’t seem like it’s working on Jokic. However, it does seem like it’s slowing down the Nuggets as a team.
So, I guess it comes down to how you view success.
If individual numbers and accolades are more important, then the “Jokic Rules” are a bust.
But if team wins are more important, then the rules worked because the Nuggets didn’t win as many games.
What are your thoughts on this?
Side note: I know that other factors also played a role in them winning fewer games, such as changes in the roster and a lineup change. But teams also changed how they defended the Nuggets and it had an effect.
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