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Overhead to Thrill vs. Top Floor Lob

“Ohhh, great pass by Nik…Let me tell you something, I like this guy right here.” That was Shaq who nearly got up out of his seat as he watched Jokic make this no-look over the head pass out of the double-team. Shaq isn’t one to give compliments to fellow big men, either. But how could he not be impressed with this one? Bonus points for it coming against the Lakers and bonus points again for the smile Mike Miller throws him after this one.

The top floor lob pass was too high for all but maybe 10 people on the planet, one of those being Kenneth Faried. Faried was a favorite target of Jokic’s, in part because Jokic knew he could throw passes like this one high above the level most defenders could intercept. Even Chris Marlowe was fooled on this one. Bonus points for Gary Harris’s face in slow motion at the end of the clip.

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Shot Fake Pass vs. Look Away Dime

The shot fake pass play features the entire Jokic experience. First, he burns Jeff Teague in transition with a nifty behind the back dribble which alone was enough to get Marlowe to accurately declare “He’s got some stuff, folks.” He even got a chuckle out of Scott Hastings. Then he gets a quick give and go (without the go part) and lines up for a three-pointer before calling a late audible and finding Gallo for the wide open layup.

The look away dime would be the best pass most NBA centers ever make in their career. For Jokic, it’s a 5-seed. Jokic was feeling himself in this game and that smirk he has in the corner of his mouth tells you how confident he is in his ability to make reads on the move. Bonus points for a truly fantastic call. “As sweet a dish as you’ll ever taste!”

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No Look to Lyles vs. Step Back Three

The no-look to Trey Lyles is awfully similar to that first no-look pass of Jokic’s career against the Memphis Grizzlies. Jokic does this sometimes, where he’ll come up with some new shot, pass, or post move and then just keep it in the arsenal for later use.

Outside of Marlowe and Hastings, there isn’t an announcing crew who is more fond of Jokic’s game than the Timerwolves broadcast crew. Dave Benz and Jim Petersen always rave about Jokic’s ability. In game 82 of the 2018 season, Jokic gave everything that he had in that 3rd quarter, scoring 17 points including this shot that nearly broke the spirit of every Wolves fan in the arena. Just watch how many heads drop as the shot goes through the net. Bonus points for Petersen saying “You can see what a Hoss he is.”

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Over the Head vs. Love-ly Footwork

This over the head pass was on the NBA’s short list for best passes of the season and yet I’m not even sure it’s one of the best five passes of Jokic’s career. I’m personally not sure if it’s even the best over the head pass Jokic had in the 2016-17 season. Still, it’s a good one. This clip gets docked points for a truly horrendous color combination between powder blue, shiny gold, and maroon red.

I’m a sucker for the reverse pivot post up. It’s my all-time favorite move and Jokic pulls it off beautifully against Kevin Love. In some ways, he might’ve made this look too easy.

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