Charles Barkley Heaps Praise on Nikola Jokic

Throughout the postseason, Nikola Jokic has improved both his leadership and his playing. The Denver Nuggets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their playoff series on Monday night, pulling off an improbable shock victory. Even though they were behind for the duration of the game, the Nuggets persisted and exploited a couple […] The post Charles Barkley Heaps Praise on Nikola Jokic appeared first on BlackSportsOnline.

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May 6, 2025 - 14:00
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Charles Barkley Heaps Praise on Nikola Jokic

Throughout the postseason, Nikola Jokic has improved both his leadership and his playing. The Denver Nuggets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their playoff series on Monday night, pulling off an improbable shock victory.

Even though they were behind for the duration of the game, the Nuggets persisted and exploited a couple of last-minute errors by the Thunder to surprise Oklahoma City at home.

Nikola Jokic and his impact are praised by Charles Barkley

Following the game, Charles Barkley of Inside the NBA praised Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic for his leadership on the court and in the locker room, pointing out that the three-time MVP has greatly increased his interaction with the team’s other players in recent weeks.

Mar 17, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) speaks with Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during the second half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Barkley stated, echoing what fellow cohost Kenny Smith had already said: “As long as they’ve got that dude, they’re going to believe,”. “Joker is coaching right now. He is taking control of that team. We’ve seen him be more animated and emotional. It’s all happened in the last month. We’ve been covering this team for years and the Joker don’t ever show emotion.

“But in the last month, he has been doing that. So it goes back—obviously coach is important—but Joker’s like, ‘No, no, no, this is my team. We gon’ keep winning.’ He’s the one constant. It’s great to watch, man.”

Given the Nuggets’ present transitioning state, Jokic’s leadership is particularly noteworthy this postseason. Denver fired head coach Michael Malone, who had guided the team to a championship less than two years prior, with three games remaining in the regular season.

 

The post Charles Barkley Heaps Praise on Nikola Jokic appeared first on BlackSportsOnline.

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