Nikola Jokic is already an all-time great. He’s not someone who often allows himself to be interviewed, but when he does, people listen.
The Joker sat down for an interview with the podcast X&O’s Chat. While the interview was in Serbian, it also has translated subtitles in English on their YouTube page. In the interview, Jokic brought up the Minnesota Timberwolves and Anthony Edwards by saying,
“Or does Jamal (Murray) go at (Jaden) McDaniels, or do I go at (Anthony) Edwards — and those are great defenders. One of the best. I mean, when Edwards wants to…he really is a defensive monster. But when he wants to.”
Ultimate praise, but a backhanded compliment as well?
Still known way more so for his offense
It’s rather difficult to be seen as one of the game’s best defenders when you have a lot of offensive responsibilities. Think of players such as Michael Jordan, (younger) LeBron James, and Chris Paul. There’s a reason two of them are in the GOAT conversation, and the other is referred to as The Point God.
Last season, the All-Defensive First Team consisted of Evan Mobley, Dyson Daniels, Lu Dort, Draymond Green, and Amen Thompson. Of those 5, Mobley averaged the most points at 18.5. That was good for the 43rd-most in the league amongst players who qualified.
Nobody can deny that Ant-Man is an elite bucket-getter. His 29.6 points per contest place him only behind Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the scoring average leaderboard this season. The 2020 first overall pick is also in the midst of a season where he has career-best shooting percentages from the field and from 3-point distance.
Again, Jokic‘s comment about Ant’s defense can be seen as being very complimentary. He also says ‘wants to’ twice, certainly inferring that Edwards isn’t always giving it his all on that end of the floor.
Is he wrong? Well, if you watch Timberwolves games this season and really focus on the team’s defense, you’d probably agree. When Edwards is locked in on that end, he can put the clamps down on the opposition. That isn’t happening every possession, though.
It was about a month ago that Rudy Gobert talked to the media about how players should be held accountable if they aren’t giving the necessary defensive effort. Gobert didn’t name names, but fans were able to read between the lines and realize that he was likely talking about Julius Randle and Edwards.
Jokic has seen plenty of Ant. The Denver Nuggets have met up with the Timberwolves four times this season (Edwards has played in three of them) as well as both the 2023 and 2024 playoffs. Obviously, Ant isn’t often guarding Jokic, but as an offensive mastermind, Nikola sees what is going on.
Nobody can fault Edwards for putting so much effort on offense, particularly because the Timberwolves don’t necessarily have a second guy who is consistent with their scoring. Being a defensive stopper more often, which Jokic and many others believe he can be, would allow him to become even more impactful.