By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone praised Nikola Jokic’s seflless attitude in light of the Serbian big man’s contribution to the team’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jokic finished the game with a double-double of 12 points and 12 assists, along with six rebounds while taking a season-low seven field goal attempts. For Malone, the fact that his marquee name didn’t focus on simply getting numbers and was delighted with the bounce-back win afterward is something that speaks volumes about the player’s character.
“Obviously Nikola is having an MVP caliber season. What I love about Nikola is that he’s the true definition of being selfless,” Malone said after the match. “He doesn’t care about his stats, he’s not ‘MVP-hunting”. He just wants to win. We lost three games in a row and the fact that he goes and has 12 points, 12 assists and six rebounds and we won the game. He’s in a great mood and he’s happy. And that’s sincere. That’s who he is. And I love that. When your franchise player embodies who you are and who you aspire to be, from a coach’s standpoint, you have a chance to do great things.”