Nikola Jokic Reveals NBA’s Toughest Defenders as He Defends Rudy Gobert From Criticism

After 11 years in the NBA, Nikola Jokic has proven himself to be one of the best players in league history. Jokic is a one-time NBA champion, a one-time NBA Finals MVP, a three-time NBA MVP, and an eight-time NBA All-Star. Now only 31 years old, Jokic still has plenty of time to add more accolades to his already decorated career.

What makes Jokic a special talent is his ability to do everything on the floor. Last season, for the second time in his career, Jokic averaged a triple-double, putting up 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists. This makes him one of the toughest matchups in the league today. When asked about who the toughest defender is when trying to stop him, the Denver Nuggets star gave four-time Defensive Player of the Year winner Rudy Gobert his flowers.

"Who guards me the best? Everybody! The league is just as talented defensively as it is offensively," Jokic initially said on the Jao Mile Podcast. "Ivica Zubac and Jusuf Nurkic, they’re chubby like me, so it’s hard for me to move them."

"Rudy Gobert, I know people say all kinds of things about him, but I think he’s a great defender. He showed that in the last playoffs," Jokic added.

Looking at how Gobert performed against Jokic and the Nuggets in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, he was one of the biggest reasons why the Minnesota Timberwolves were successful against them.

According to the NBA's official stat sheet, Gobert held Jokic to six-for-26 from the field in the second halves of Games 2 through 4. In Game 2 specifically, when Jokic went head-on against Gobert, the Nuggets star went one-for-eight from the field, forcing him to dodge the Timberwolves big.

Thanks to Gobert's added efforts to prevent Jokic from going all out, the Timberwolves beat the Nuggets in six games in the first round, earning the Serbian big man's respect.

Nikola Jokic Reveals His Training Regimen

When Nikola Jokic initially entered the league in 2015, nobody expected him to become the star that he is today. Joker averaged his first double-double in his third season. Then, it wasn't until his fourth NBA season that he was named an All-Star for the first time. But as the saying goes, everyone at their own pace.

Apparently, it wasn't an easy path for Jokic to get to where he is today. During his interview on the Jao Mile Podcast, the Denver Nuggets star noted that he adopted his mentors' training regimen in his early years in the league and hasn't looked back since.

"Out of 300 days, I spend 295 in the practice facility," Jokic revealed. "When I came to the NBA, I had Jameer Nelson and Wilson Chandler as role models when it came to training. Mike Miller was there too, although he was already a little older at the time. I just copied what they were doing. Their mindset was simple – show up every single day and do at least something."

Fast forward to the present day: Jokic is now one of the biggest stars in the league, and even after winning three NBA MVP awards, he's been a consistent candidate for the award every season since winning his first.