Prospect Calibration: Nikola Jokic is a passing sorcerer

If you’ve followed the NBA closely this year, one of the most perplexing early season storylines has been the Denver Nuggets’ treatment of second year phenom Nikola Jokic. Coming off a stellar rookie season, the 7-foot Jokic looked like a franchise-altering playmaking center, blessed with an outlier elite offensive skill level and enough defense via intelligent positioning to be a high-level two-way star. Instead of building on Jokic’s rookie year exploits however, the Nuggets and head coach Mike Malone went in a different direction out of the gate.

Due to a roster crunch and a positional surplus at center, Malone employed the “Jurkic” pairing of Jokic and fellow international big man Jusuf Nurkic at the 4 and 5 starting spots respectively to open the year. When those lineups with spacing-cramped sets on offense and lack of athleticism on defense were predictably unsuccessful over the first eight games, Malone stunned the masses by demoting Jokic to the second unit in favor of Nurkic. And so Denver’s best prospect fell into translation in a reserve role he was overqualified for, and from an outside vantage point, it seemed Denver forgot what a rare gem they had.

Read More: 2017 NBA Draft breakdown: Unassisted makes at the rim

After Jokic finally blew the top off his reserve role in Dallas, putting up 27 points on 12 shots, 11 rebounds and 4 assists in a game the Nuggets still lost by 20, Malone had no choice but to reinsert Jokic into the starting lineup. This move, intersecting with Gary Harris’ return, spearheaded a reinvigorated Nuggets team over the last four games.

The new starting lineup consisting of Emmanuel Mudiay, Harris, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Jokic, had an offensive rating of 111.5 in 59 minutes this season, which would be the fourth most efficient overall offense in the league, and it’s easy to see why. Surrounding Jokic with two floor-spacing combo-forwards in Chandler and Gallinari instead of space-killers like Kenneth Faried at the 4 or Nurkic at the 5 has really opened up the court. Mudiay especially has more space to get to the basket, and he was able to use that to string together three productive games before his 0-of-9 blunder against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Most importantly however, these new spacing lineups have unlocked Jokic’s playmaking ability at his natural 5 spot, where he holds a significant skill advantage over basically everyone he matches up against. Jokic plus spacing equals a damn nightmare scenario for defenses, where the best passing big man in the game (who has taken the torch from Marc Gasol) is absolutely unleashed in his own reenactment of “Welcome to the Wizarding World of Jokic Putting You in a Hellfire Storm With His Passing Sorcery.”

To get an idea of the degree of enhanced spacing we’re talking about here, indulge in the following clip.

Mudiay and Jokic run a two-man dribble-handoff game on a clear-out set with the three wings all positioned on the weak-side behind the 3-point line. The handoff doesn’t really work as designed because Brandon Jennings, knowing Mudiay isn’t a shooting threat, skirts under both Joakim Noah and Jokic setting the screen, heading Mudiay off before he can turn the corner cleanly. The play still works because of Mudiay’s strength finishing through the smaller Jennings, but the key is the spacing element. Instead of Kristaps Porzingis guarding Nurkic or Faried parked in the dunker position, he has to respect Gallinari in the weak-side corner, discouraging him from helping too far off. Because of this, Porzingis never challenges the layup by rotating over. When you pair this kind of spacing with Jokic’s passing acumen, you achieve a winning formula.

Jokic will pick defenses apart facing up from the top of the key, and having a five-out system with shooters puts so much pressure on defenses to guard the perimeter to prevent Jokic skip passes for 3s that it opens up back-cuts.

And again.

The velocity and precision of this laser entry pass to Gallinari coming off the flex cut is a pass only a handful of big men can even imagine, let alone make.

These Jokic top-of-the-key-facilitator looks also work with Faried in the dunker position, as Willy Hernangomez is late to react getting over here.

Jokic is so quick to diagnose plays and has the rare feel and intelligence to capitalize on half-second voids in defenses.

There isn’t a typical catch-and-hold delayed reaction with Jokic. Right when he gets the ball he’s immediately surveying the court in attempt to move the ball quickly.

His instincts and intelligence are on full display with the immediate reactionary outlet pass after taking the ball off the rim.

Perhaps the best part about Jokic’s passing is he can beat you in a myriad of ways in basically any situation. His vision in the post is elite, and his timing and accuracy on delivery is sharp.

Right when he catches the ball in the following clip, Jokic looks immediately to the corner defender expecting a dig-down, showing heightened awareness. When he sees Harris begin to execute the back-cut, the bounce pass is again on point leading Harris for the layup.

Jokic makes quick work of the early-offense double-team here, knowing exactly who the help was coming off of and firing the pass to the cutting Chandler for the finish.

The hardest thing for bigs to do creation-wise is pass on the move. It’s challenging enough for wings and even some guards, but for less-mobile and often less-coordinated 7-foot centers you rarely see the comfort handling the ball while also having the capability to keep ones head up. Jokic has enough comfort and feel here where he actually adds manipulation to the equation with the ability to look-off defenders.

Flat out, this is just a disgusting show of skill-level.

Not to be outdone, this pass is even more absurd.

7-footers just shouldn’t be able to make it look this easy, especially 21-year old 7-footers.

Next: 2017 NBA Draft Breakdown: Unassisted makes at the rim

Passing is just one element of Jokic’s skill game, and I could probably expand this piece comfortably by 2,000 words just on said passing, but I think you get the point. Hopefully the Nuggets do too. Jokic is a rare playmaking 5 archetype and the best shot at a franchise-caliber player Denver has on its current roster moving forward. Hopefully the Nuggets will continue the recent trend of featuring Jokic and putting him in the best situation to succeed. The payoff could be enormous.