Nikola Jokic's old beef rival refuses to place him among NBA greats

Nikola Jokic went from being an unknown second-round pick out of Serbia to a three-time NBA MVP and one of the greatest passing big men this game has ever seen.

He even led the Denver Nuggets to their first NBA championship in franchise history, and he might already be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. That's why some have even added his name to the list of the best big men of all time.

However, Marcus Morris doesn't agree with that. Talking on ESPN's "First Take," the former Boston Celtics forward claimed that as good a player as Jokic is, he might not have cracked the top 20 yet.

"I'm still not gonna say he's top 20 right now," Morris said. "His body of work is definitely impressive; the game has changed completely since Jokic's been in the game (but) I don't see top 20, and that's no knock to him because what he's doing is special."

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"But top 20 right now? Not. I don't even wanna say this, but if he stopped playing today, would we say that the Joker was a top 20 player in the NBA? I don't agree," he added. "He wouldn't be top 20."

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Of course, some might take his words on Jokic with a grain of salt, given their history. Back in 2021, Jokic shoved his brother, Markieff, after a brief altercation, and that led to a feud between two pairs of brothers.

The Morris twins and Jokic's brothers went back and forth on and off the court, and Morris missed plenty of time with an injury stemming from Jokic's shove in the back.

Nikola Jokic has a hilarious reaction to his 61-point triple-double

Top 20 or not, Nikola Jokic is having one of the most impressive campaigns of all time. He's going to become the first center to average a triple-double for a full season, and he just put an exclamation point to it with a career-high 61-point, 10-rebound, and 10-assist performance.

When asked about that game, Jokic had a hilarious analogy, and he compared pro athletes to horses:

“We’re born for this. We’ve been training since we were kids. My opinion is that horses are like athletes; they’re very similar to us. They’re born to run, and we’re born to play,“ Nikola Jokic said.

The Serbian superstar is an avid horse-racing fan, so this might be the closest thing to a pat on the back he'll ever give himself.

About the author

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

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Edited by John Maxwell

"Wouldn't be top 20" - Nikola Jokic's old beef rival refuses to place him among NBA greats

Nikola Jokic has a hilarious reaction to his 61-point triple-double