Nicola Jokić is Baron Davis in Glen Davis's Body

On Big Man Assists and Dunks

Glen Davis guards Baron Davis during a Big 3 game (Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

We all know Nicola Jokić is a basketball anomaly like we have never seen before. At the All-Star break, he’s averaging a 30 point, 13 rebound, 10 assist triple double. For a big the smallest of those numbers may actually be the most impressive.

At this pace, Jokić would be the first player in NBA history 6’11” or taller to average 10 assists per game. Wilt Chamberlain is the only other player¹ that tall to average more than 7 assists, in those two seasons he decided he’d done everything else so why not lead the league in assists as well. Jokić has increased his career assist average to 7.1 per game now. Again, Wilt is the only other big to do that for a season.

On the flip side, despite being able to reach to within a couple inches of the rim from his toes, Jokić doesn’t do a lot of dunking. The Nuggets announcers jokingly hype him up and Golden Hoops gave their best effort on this editing, but Jokić simply doesn’t have the most impressive dunk reel I’ve ever seen.

Jokić has dunked the ball 165 times in his decade in the NBA, which works out to about 0.2 per game. Compare that to Jokić’s backup this season, Deandre Jordan. DJ happens to be the exact same height as Jokić and also happens to be one of the league’s best in-game dunkers. He has averaged 10x more dunks than Jokić in his career, and is still throwing down 1 a game this season at age 36.

Overall, among the 255 eligible players² 6’11” or taller, Jokić ranks 179th in dunks per game.

Combining his assist and dunk numbers (and ignoring all the other amazing things he does on the court), Jokić’s career numbers look more like a 6’3” point guard than the 6’11” center he is. Of all the players who have played at least 20 games since 1996-97 when the NBA started tracking dunks³, Baron Davis, the 2000s Warriors point guard, is the best comparison:

• Nikola Jokić: 7.1 APG, 0.23 DPG, 6’11”

• Baron Davis: 7.2 APG, 0.25 DPG, 6’3”

Oh, while we’re here, this season’s Jokić doesn’t look like anything we’ve seen since the NBA started tracking dunks. He’s on pace to more than double the previous assist number for any player 6’11” or taller.

1. New rule: Take a drink every time this phrase comes up in this Substack

2. Players with entire career post-1996-97 season when the NBA started tracked dunks, who have played at least 20 games

3. Which notably filters out Magic Johnson, the 6’9” Lakers point guard and all-time career APG leader