This Basketball Stat Has Broken My Brain
There is not a day that goes by where something doesn’t come across my timeline involving this league that makes my brain explode. With the talent at an all time high it seems like we get some sort of crazy stat every day. Well I’m sorry, but I don’t think anything will ever come close to shocking me like this Jokic stat. You can say a lot of things about Nikola Jokic, that he’s one of the best big men in the entire league, a triple double machine, and an all time passer, but I don’t think anyone on the planet would ever say he is faster than John Wall on the court. You would get laughed at and ridiculed for years if you ever tried to convince someone of that, yet the numbers don’t lie.
It’s actually true.
Even if you want to talk about systems and style of play, that doesn’t make it any less hilarious. Jokic literally looks like he has cement blocks on his feet when he runs, and yet he’s considerably faster than John Wall? A guy who we all would agree has been one of the fastest guys in the NBA for years? It makes no goddamn sense and that’s why I love it. We’re talking about this guy!
I was curious, if Wall is the slowest in the East, how does he compare to the rest of the NBA? If you look at players who have his speed or are slower, this is your list
You probably recognize a couple guys, the first being Channing Frye who is like 50, then we have Marc Gasol who is old as shit and not exactly a gazelle, and then a surprising name in James Harden. I would not expect him to be so far on this list either, so that’s pretty interesting as well. Is it really because these guys are just mailing it in on defense or something? That has to be it.
Obviously if you were to line John Wall up against Jokic on the baseline and had them race down the court, Jokic would get smoked. That’s why this is so funny to me, and probably pretty depressing to Wizards fans. Even if you were to factor in some decline as Wall has gotten older, there’s no chance I would have ever guessed a guy that runs like a slow baby deer would have a faster mile per hour average on the court.
That’s the beauty of the NBA in my opinion. Sure we know the Warriors are going to win the title, but it’s fun little nuggets like this (no pun intended but intended) that make this league so fun to follow. Admit it, this surprised you and probably made you chuckle because it is so outrageous.
Nikola Jokic is a speed demon. Who knew?