Gregg Popovich Called Nikola Jokic A Reincarnation Of Larry Bird And It's Not Completely Crazy

Now normally if I hear someone try and make a comparison to Larry Legend, I get very mad online. We're talking about one of the NBA's greatest players ever, so it's not like you can just make that comparison on a whim. Having said that, Gregg Popovich has forgotten more about basketball than any of us will ever know about the sport in our lifetimes. Who am I to get mad at Pop for making this statement after Jokic tore his Spurs a new one. 

I look at this comparison this way. Pop isn't saying Jokic is a top 10 player all time like Larry, but their skillsets are somewhat similar. The fact that they are to the naked eye un-athletic yet can dominate a game through scoring/rebounding/passing is similar. Jokic has some of the best passing vision the league has ever seen. Where Pop loses in this comparison is obviously on the defensive end, those two could not be more far apart on that end of the floor. This isn't the first time Pop has made these sort of comparisons, remember when he called Luka a reincarnation of Magic?

I mean that's pretty spot on 7 months later. 

I think mostly what Pop was getting at is how well Jokic can pass for his size, how he initiates the offense and can completely take over a game like Larry. The passing is no joke

You combine that with both players not really passing the eye test from a physique standpoint and I can see where Pop is going. Even their postseason career numbers are pretty similar, but obviously Jokic has a much smaller sample (14 games)

Bird: 23.8/10.3/6.5

Jokic: 25.1/13.0/8.4

I want to be VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY clear here that I am not saying Larry and Jokic are the same caliber of player. Not even fucking close. But I do agree with Pop that there are elements of Jokic's game that remind me of Larry Legend. In the event that Papa Greenie is reading this blog I want to stress one more time that I am not saying Jokic = Bird. He's getting up there in age and I don't want this blog to be the thing that makes him kick the bucket. 

Now, because it's probably my favorite video on the entire internet, let's enjoy ourselves some Larry Bird greatness