Following Denver’s win over Toronto, Nikola Jokic warned that low-post basketball might completely vanish within a decade. The three-time MVP argued that defenders are allowed too much uncalled physicality down low, pushing players away from traditional post-ups as the league rapidly evolves.

Denver Nuggets three-time MVP Nikola Jokic believes one of basketball’s most traditional offensive weapons could soon disappear from the NBA.

Player of the Game


Nikola Jokic

PTS
32

FGS
13-19

REB
10

AST
11

Following a 128-109 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, Jokic was asked how he approaches matchups against smaller defenders when he has a size advantage.

To Jokic, however, that advantage is not as significant as it might seem.

“To be honest, in today’s NBA, I don’t think there is much of a size advantage,” Jokic said. “In the low post, defenders are allowed to do much more. They can push, grab, and be more physical than they can when defending on the perimeter.”

“I think that’s why players are no longer willing to play in the low post as much,” he continued. “You get fouled, but it’s not called. You keep getting tired after every possession.”

“That’s why I think the low post is becoming an endangered part of the game. In probably five to ten years, it might not even be there anymore.”

Credit Getty Images via AFP – Scanpix

Jokic added that he feels the NBA has become more physical overall.

“The league is getting a little more physical, with more pushing and grabbing,” he noted. “Defenders are getting better at using their physicality. I think that’s something we also need to improve because it can help us.”

Still, Jokic made it clear that he was not complaining about officiating.

“No, no. I’m not blaming the officials,” he said. “I like to wrestle. I’ve been wrestling with my brother since I was young, so I enjoy that physical battle. I like pushing and grabbing.”

Jokic expects basketball to keep evolving

Looking back over his 12-year career, Jokic pointed out just how dramatically the league has already transformed.

“I think basketball has changed a lot since I came here,” the Serbian superstar said. “The game has probably changed four times already.

“We’ve had small-ball lineups, then bigger lineups, and now big men are expected to do everything. Before that, you had traditional power forwards and centers playing together.”

So, the low post’s decline is merely another chapter in that ongoing evolution.

“Basketball has changed four times in the last ten or twelve years,” he said, “and I think it will change again in the next five years.”

Jokic finished Wednesday’s contest with a triple-double, recording 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in 30 minutes.

This season, he is averaging 23.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per game.

Nikola Jokic vs. Toronto:

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