The Denver Nuggets took down the Brooklyn Nets, 112-104, on Wednesday night. While that score may not necessarily catch your eye, how about the score of Denver’s Nikola Jokic vs Brooklyn’s starting five?
Yes, Jokic outscored the Nets’ five starters, 41-40.
.@JokicNikola15 records his first career 40/10 game in the @Nuggets 112-104 win over the @BrooklynNets.
? 41 pts/12 reb/5 ast/2 blks pic.twitter.com/4XpPRsoMxI
— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 8, 2017
The 41 points — on a very efficient 14-of-25 from the field, 5-6 at the line — are a career-high for Jokic. But there would seem to be a good chance the 22-year-old tops that mark soon, because he’s really, really good.
Jokic has a rare all-around skillset for a 6-foot-10, 250-pounder. The Serbian is averaging 17.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game this season. While it’s a small sample size just 11 games into the season, Jokic has also seen a significant increase in his three-point percentage (43.9% this season, 32.4% last season) and free throw percentage (90%, up from 82.5%).
Jokic is just one of the many young stars in the NBA right now, and the league is in pretty damn good shape going forward.