Nikola Jokic praises Victor Wembanyama after their first matchup

Nikola Jokic praises Victor Wembanyama after their first matchup

Denver Nuggets big Nikola Jokic, also known as “The Joker,” is arguably the best basketball player in the world right now, even though he treats the NBA like a side job.

Jokic is not outspoken, but he did drop a gem after the Nuggets played the San Antonio Spurs Sunday. It marked his first matchup against Victor Wembanyama, who was labeled an all-time generational prospect and was the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Wembanyama is the new possible future face of the NBA and future Hall of Famer. These labels and predictions of his potential have yet to come to fruition. After all, it is only his rookie year but Jokic did like what he saw from the top overall overall pick. 

Below is an excerpt from his comments post-game to the media regarding Wembanyama, according to Spurs writer Paul Garcia of Project Spurs.

Nikola Jokic on his first impressions of Wemby: pic.twitter.com/1D1TnmIDws

— Paul Garcia (@PaulGarciaNBA) November 27, 2023

This is a phenomenal sign for Wembanyama’s future. There is something to be said when the best center in the league shows his respect to the rookie who is supposed to take that torch. Furthermore, the hype for Wembanyama is almost impossible to live up to, but these comments should give the rookie some confidence.  

Nikola Jokic hilariously answers own questions during postgame press conference

These two players both had great games in the first-ever face-off. Wembanyama ended with 22 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and six steals. However, the Joker finished with a season-high 39 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists with a W in the win column. 

This battle between these two big men should be a fun one for years to come. It will be interesting to see if Victor Wembanyama can live up to his potential and take the throne from Jokic. 

More On Jokic’s Comments:

As I stated earlier, Nikola Jokic is not a huge fan of the media and the circus that it can be at times, though it was funny that he acknowledged that Wembanyama is perpetually in the spotlight due to his hype.

However, even Joker can point out that Wemby is only 19-years-old and he has to get used to the NBA game. Also, the biggest praise he shared in that quote was that Wembanyama would change the game 100 percent. That statement is coming from a player that changed the game in their own right. 

2023-24 NBA Rookie Rankings: November

There have been great passing big men in the past such as Kevin Garnett, Chris Webber and Kevin Love, to name a few. Joker has surpassed all of them and has incorporated fantastic playmaking as a key part of his game, redefining playmaking from the center position.

Now, for Victor Wembanyama there have been big men in the past who could dribble, shoot, and shot-create at an elite level–a couple that come to mind are Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant. Now, while the blueprint is there, Wemby has the chance to be the most skilled offensive big man of all time. He can take the handles, paint presence, shooting and passing of the center position to a whole other level.

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