Gilbert Arenas Provides the Ultimate Antidote for Defending Unstoppable Nikola Jokic: ?Just Make Him Go Left?

Nikola Jokic has become a dominant force in the NBA, and all for good reasons. The Nuggets‘ center is arguably one of the best players, if not the best, in the league right now. Jokic was responsible for bringing the Nuggets their first-ever Championship last season. At just 28, he is a 2X MVP, 5X NBA All-Star, and 5X All-NBA, and the sky seems to be the limit for the Serbian beast.

He was also named as the #1 player in the league in 2023 by ESPN. When he is on the court, it seems like there is nothing that can stop the Joker from scoring. Good news for his opponents, Gilbert Arenas, former NBA player, and 3X NBA All-Star, has seemingly found a loophole that could help defenders slow Jokic down. Arenas, who retired in 2012, was one of the top players during his time, and he knows what he’s talking about.

Pushing Jokic left could do the trick

His antidote for stopping Jokic is this: reach for the ball, poke for the ball, make him uncomfortable, and play the lock-down defense. Agent Zero knows his sport, and he has watched enough clips to understand that to neutralize Jokic, all that defenders have to do is to go head-up against him and force him to go left. “Just make him go left the whole time“, he says.

Hibachi has noticed Jokic’s tendency to go right almost all the time, except when he is going for the big euro-step. So, to make him get out of his comfort zone, defenders must resort to nudging him to his left, where he has to dribble with his right hand and see how that works out for him. The idea here is to make him uneasy and push him to do something he’s not used to, hence locking him down.

Defenders have to provide strong resistance

Well, coming from a seasoned player like Arenas, Jokic’s future opponents might want to keep these tips in mind, because so far in the season, the Joker is showing no signs of slowing down. The reigning Finals MVP is leading the Nuggets’ scoreboard in points, rebounds, and assists.

He is without a doubt the top all-around offensive player in the league right now, and to stop him, it will need a little more than just bumping into him. When he is on the court, Jokic is in complete control of the game. He is an efficient shooter, an even better passer, and a great offensive rebounder.

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Do you think No Chill Gil’s tip could work against the Joker? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.