The Minnesota Timberwolves are taking on their biggest rival, the Denver Nuggets, in the first round of the NBA playoffs. That means slowing Nikola Jokic down will be paramount, and Julius Randle will play a big part in preventing the three-time MVP from doing the things that he does so often.
There really is no such thing as completely shutting Jokic down. He is the best player in the NBA and puts up monster numbers not just on a yearly basis, but in nearly every single game that he suits up for. Not even Rudy Gobert, who is a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, has been able to use his defensive prowess to completely neutralize the Serbian center in Denver.
Gobert is one of the greatest shot blockers in NBA history, but Jokic's touch is so advanced, and his rebounding is so elite, that some of Gobert's worst defensive performances have come against Jokic. Gobert can't be to blame for that. He performs more admirably against The Joker than most do. Jokic simply thrives against all centers league-wide, but especially lanky shot blockers in Gobert's archetype.
Teams have put power forwards on Jokic at times before, though. This strategy is rarely sustainable over the course of an entire postseason series, but it can slow Jokic down during stretches.
Julius Randle's defense against Nikola Jokic will be of the utmost importance
A power forward is no more likely to prevent Jokic from scoring, but by having a shot-blocking center off-ball, the rest of the Nuggets might have a more difficult time working off their playmaking center and putting the ball in the basket. This helps limit Jokic's best skill, which is his passing, too. In turn, the Nuggets' offense as a whole might get a little more stagnant than usual. This strategy of "letting anybody but Jokic beat us" just might be the best way to slow him down.
Minnesota will surely try to put Randle on Jokic at various points throughout the upcoming series. The power forward isn't known for his defense, but he is a hulking presence, and he is more likely to hold his own against a posting-up Jokic than most would be. With playoff rotations limiting the number of players that Chris Finch will likely play, Randle may even be tasked with defending Jokic at times when Gobert isn't on the floor.
Having Randle guard Jokic is a risky but necessary strategy for the Wolves.
The Timberwolves bested the Nuggets back in the 2024 postseason, ending Denver's title defense in the process. Jokic put up Jokic-esque numbers in the series, as he averaged 29 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 7.9 assists, but it was far from one of his better playoff series. The big man was more inefficient than normal (51.7 percent from the field and 22.9 percent from deep range), and the Timberwolves' decision to play Gobert off of Jokic played a big part in this.
Of course, converted center Karl-Anthony Towns was the player at the power forward position back then. Regardless, the Timberwolves are going to need to give Jokic different looks, and making Randle the primary defender on him at various points will be one of them.
Randle is a streaky defender, but if he can lock in during that assignment, he just may be what the doctor ordered.
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