On Thursday night, it was announced that the Denver Nuggets will have their first all-star since Carmelo Anthony in 2011. Nikola Jokic will be a reserve on the all-star team, his first of probably many appearances in the game. The news not only excited fans who have been longing for a representative of their team for years now, but it also made Jokic’s teammates very happy as well. Will Barton sent out a congratulatory tweet on Thursday, praising Jokic for the growth that he’s had from his rookie season to now, and stating that there is no ceiling to the kind of player that he can become.
There’s a couple of things to love about this tweet. First, Barton is not reluctant at all to claim that Jokic is the best center in the league. It’s great to see Barton willing to give this title to his teammate, considering that Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Davis, and Joel Embiid are in that conversation as well, among others. Despite the amount of talent at the center position in the league right now, Jokic making an all-star game is a great way for him to solidify himself in that conversation.
Second, Barton’s tweet was highlighted on “Inside the NBA” during a segment in which Jokic was being interviewed by the crew about his all-star selection. Every minute of it is gold.
Check out this video if you have not done so already. You’ll hear Joker talk about his reaction to being named an all-star, his goals for the Nuggets, and what he thinks about the nickname “Big Honey” that Barton coined for him a while back. Spoiler alert: He’s not a fan.
Nuggets Nation undoubtedly echoes Barton’s thoughts on Jokic becoming an all-star. Now Nuggets fans can tune into the game on February 17th and proudly realize that the center throwing no-look passes to the opposite side of the court on national television is indeed theirs.
Congratulations, Joker!
