George Karl didn’t sugarcoat his take on Nikola Jokic.
The former NBA coach went on X and argued that the Nuggets star was on track to enter the top 10 all-time conversation, but that Denver’s inability to fully support him kept that from becoming reality. Karl pointed to the bigger picture around Jokic’s career and the franchise’s struggles to build the right kind of winner around him.
“Some franchises aren’t capable of supporting their legends the right way,” Karl said. “Jokic was on a path to becoming one of the Top 10 players to ever play basketball. That wasn’t realistic in Denver.”
That’s a harsh line, but it comes as Jokic’s résumé keeps getting heavier. He is an eight-time All-Star, an eight-time All-NBA selection, a three-time regular-season MVP, a one-time champion and a one-time Finals MVP. He also put up another monster season last year, averaging 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists.
Still, the team results have lagged behind the individual brilliance. Since Denver won the NBA title in 2023, the Nuggets haven’t gotten past the second round in any of the last three postseasons. The source of the issue, as presented here, is the roster around Jokic, which hasn’t consistently been strong enough to match his level.
The Nuggets’ small-market reality has also made the job tougher. They’ve had a hard time bringing in other stars to pair with Jokic, even though they won in 2023 with the one-time Western Conference MVP as the only All-Star on the roster. Through it all, Jokic has remained committed to Denver.
And the story isn’t finished. Jokic’s career is still very much in motion, and the case for him as a top-10 player of all time is still alive.
That same competitive fire showed up again when Jokic faced Victor Wembanyama. On Thursday, Jokic led the Serbian men’s national team to a 90-87 win over France, finishing with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Wembanyama had 10 points, four rebounds and six assists in the loss.
Even after that quieter outing, Jokic had plenty of praise for the Spurs star.
“He’s definitely a special opponent because of how unique he is, as a player and a person. I don’t see it as a rivalry, and I play every game the same way. But, he has the opportunity to be the most unique basketball player we’ve ever seen,” Jokic said.
“It only depends on him how well he’s gonna fit, how well he’s gonna work hard, how well he’s gonna get to his spots, and treat his body well. He definitely has the opportunity to be the best ever.”
The source also notes that both players had an amazing 2025-26 campaign, with Jokic finishing second in the MVP race and Wembanyama right behind him in third. Wembanyama also picked up his first Defensive Player of the Year award.
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