“He’s one of the best players to ever play this game. It’s that simple.” LeBron James kept it simple when discussing Nikola Jokic’s greatness last season. After all, the Joker recorded the league’s first 30-20-20 triple-double while also leading the league with 34 total triple-doubles in the 2024-25 season. The Nuggets center has proven he can do it all time and again. Interestingly, Dwight Howard explained how all this ties to the James-Jokic battle during the NBA bubble.

LeBron James’ former Lakers teammate appeared on Michael Porter Jr’s podcast. While speaking about the Joker, the host admitted to the 3x DPOY, “That’s why I got to give you so much flowers because like, these dudes really be trying to… they give him no issues. You’re like probably one of the only dudes that I’ve seen actually somewhat like give him some resistance and all that. Yeah, that’s why it’s so crazy. Like, I see him do whatever he wants.”

Hooping for 323 games alongside Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr. has seen the evolution of his former teammate. He saw it spark, especially from the COVID-affected season. That was the first playoff appearance in over half a decade for the Lakers. Along with LeBron James and AD, Dwight Howard was instrumental despite having limited minutes. They convincingly beat the Nuggets (4-1) in the Conference Finals, but Howard claims this only made Jokic more confident.

“So it’s like, I really think when we played them in the bubble, I think that set a fire in him (Nikola Jokic). Like, man, ‘No way. I gotta, I gotta win now. I gotta go back and get better,'” Dwight Howard said.

In the five-game series, AD led with an average of 31.2 points, while LeBron James ranked second with 27 points. For the Nuggets, Jamal Murray was the top scorer, averaging 25 points, and Jokic managed 21.8 points per game.

“I could tell in his game, like I watched him slim down a little bit, but you know, I could just see bursts when he’s playing, he’s moving faster. He’s getting into actions fast. I watch it before the games, he doing dunks and stuff. So I’m like, I ain’t do actually. Like he took his game to another level,” Howard concluded.

Interestingly, a few years ago, Nikola Jokic said the same thing! “I think that was the bubble, right? When [the Lakers] had three or four bigs,” the Serb said. While the Nuggets ended up losing that series, they got sweet revenge in 2023 when they met LeBron James and Co. in the playoffs again.

Since the Bubble season, Nikola Jokic has averaged 26.8 points per game. Let’s not forget, the Joker brought in the first and only championship to Mile High City in 2023. He also successfully won three MVP titles between 2021 and 2024. Last season, despite not winning the individual accolade, he had a career-high season in points (29.6) and assists (10.2), alongside grabbing 12.7 rebounds per game. Is Jokic now at a point where no one can stop him?

Dwight Howard’s blueprint could help the other 29 NBA teams stop Nikola Jokic

Keeping last year’s exploits in mind, the NBA GMs’ survey had the Joker winning MVP next, with a whopping 67% of the votes. Despite the praise, though, there is a chink in his armor. Previously, Dwight Howard explained it very eloquently. “My goal is to tire him out… Hitting him in the chest, boxing him out. Every time I’m hitting him somewhere, I’m doing something illegal.” This is true as the modern NBA game shifts away from physical post-battles.

So, offensively, Nikola Jokic produces insane numbers. But defensively, there are issues, as his lateral quickness in open space is constrained by his athletic profile. That’s why the opponents shot 70% at the rim when Jokic was on the court, which is his worst rim protection mark in his career.

Plus, with Joker on the floor, the Denver side allowed 4.5 more points per 100 possessions in 2024-25 than they did in ’23-24. So, it’s true that in certain 1v1 situations, other teams could get the better of the Nuggets ace.

That’s why the addition of a traditional big in Jonas Valanciunas makes so much sense. He can not only provide a breather for Nikola Jokic, but also adds another dimension to the team, at least on the defensive front.