From his European days playing basketball to now, coaches and teammates have nothing but praise for Nikola Jokic. His exceptional court vision and playing style have garnered great attention. One of the more popular claims about the Serbian superstar is that he makes everyone around him better. Jamal Murray, for example, had gone particularly viral for giving Jokic his flowers after defeating the Timberwolves in Game 3 of the 2023-24 playoffs. “The biggest thing for me is just how consistent he is and how much we depend on him to be great every night. And he does it with no complaints, just a smile on his face.” But is it truly the case?

Apparently, the Nuggets’ assistant coach, Ognjen Stojaković, has a different opinion. Part of the Serbian national team in the Paris Olympics, Stojaković had a special role to play – helping the team adapt to Nikola and vice versa. And per the 42-year-old, what people see on the outside isn’t the reality.

“People from the outside say it’s easy to play with Jokić, but they don’t know how hard it is to play with him. He’s atypical, which is difficult for some players to accept. Everyone has to adapt to him, to change, but at the same time, remain themselves,” he explained, already sounding like a complicated math problem.

Of course, the results show that whatever methods the Serbian coach employed worked, given they defeated an aggressive and Olympic veteran team, Germany, to secure the bronze medal. But was it easy? “Not really. Only after you adapt. Habits need to change,” Stojaković admitted. Yet, that doesn’t take away from the fact that Nikola Jokic is arguably one of the greatest and original basketball players of all time. And it was something Ognjen wholeheartedly believed.

“He has changed basketball”: Stojaković places Nikola Jokic among the revolutionary players

When Stephen Curry started making noise in the league, no one could have predicted that it was the beginning of a drastic change in the basketball landscape. Widely considered the ‘big man’s league,’ Steph was anything but that. And soon, the NBA shifted to a guard-dominant space with three-point shooting becoming a necessary tool in every player’s arsenal. While Jokic is not Steph, Ognjen believes the 2023 NBA champ definitely belongs amongst the revolutionaries.

“Is he definitely one of the best who have played basketball? Absolutely! The main reason I say this—besides everything he has won, done, and his stats—is because he has changed basketball. All those revolutionary players are special. He belongs in that category,” he stated.

As three-point shooting is to Curry, passing is to Jokic. Although LeBron James and the Lakers were drowning in losses at the hands of Denver (a straight 11-game losing streak) it didn’t stop him from giving the Serbian big man his flowers. “He sees plays before they happen. Maybe it’s not talked about, because a lot of people don’t understand it, but I do. He’s special,” Bron said.

A great passer and a revolutionary player himself, Bron’s point was an aspect that was inherent in Jokic. Basketball analysts and pundits have tried to make sense of his playing style but to no avail. The closest they have gotten is that the 3x MVP is a mixture of some of the legends of the NBA. Hakeem Olajuwon, Bill Walton, Dirk Nowitzki, Magic Johnson, etc. Yup! It seems that the more Jokic’s skills become better, the more legendary names get linked to him.

Even though Nikola might not consider himself as obsessed with the sport as the rest of his colleagues, he does have a certain amount of love and respect for it. And for some reason, the Basketball Gods saw it fit to bless him with incredible skills that make no sense to others. His teammates and coaches, though, couldn’t be more grateful for them!