I don’t think it can even be argued against that Jokic is one of the greatest centers to ever play the game. The man already has 2 MVPs, a Finals MVP, and a championship at 28 years of age. As long as he doesn’t face any injuries, his play style isn’t exactly one that will quickly deteriorate as he grows older. But where do you think he already ranks among All-Time centers? What does he have to accomplish to be considered at the level of players like Hakeem?
(please don’t misinterpret that as me saying Jokic has already surpassed Olajuwon, I just thought it was a fun benchmark to use)
Center is the most stacked position ever. Jokic, despite being legitimately an amazing player, is at this point probably just about cracking the top 10 somewhere in like 8-10.
I mean, the top 5 in no particular order are Shaq, Wilt, Bill, Hakeem, and Kareem. Jokic is not yet close to that level. Then you have Ewing, Robinson, Moses Malone, Willis Reed, Bill Walton, Dwight, Alonzo Mourning. So that’s like 12 guys.
Jokic in my opinion is better than Dwight, Mourning, Ewing. He’s not yet better than Robinson or Malone but he does have a very strong shot of passing them. He’s around the level of Reed and Walton (though has them beat already in terms of longevity) That puts him at around number 8 all time for me.
So far… below wilt/bill russel/kareem/hakeem/shaq/moses
But 3 mores seasons of the past 3 years? He might end up higher than hakeem
Offense wise, he is up there with Shaq as the most dominant player to play the game. Above them is only Wilt but that’s due to the era he played in. His defense is average but that’s another story.
Jokic is easily the best offensive center ever, but the defensive gap is big, that’s why he needs more accolades. Jokic is leagues best shooter and playmaker on those lists, legitimately not even remotely close. He’s also by far the worst defender there.
Kareem, Wilt, Russell, Shaq, Hakeem are all easily above Jokic imo. I’d say Jokic is somewhere from 6-8 with Moses Malone and David Robinson. Probably 7th behind Moses imo, but i wouldn’t argue if you put him one spot higher or lower.
They’re easily above him by volume, but man if you adjust for the time Jokic has had I think he’s right with them.
I know “all time rank” now means some combination of ability, stats, accolades, longevity, etc. so Jokic couldn’t possibly be in that upper tier yet for people here, but If we’re talking purely about who contributes the most to winning basketball games relative to their era, I’m putting Jokic up against any of them
I don’t see him in the top 5 yet, but perhaps if he can keep this up for longer.
Shaq-Wilt-Russell-Malone and then Jokic.i think Jokic can surpass Malone.
Jokic may not be better (or the best Center). However i think Jokic is better overall basketball player than them all of the above.
Shaq’s defensive dominance makes him a better overall basketball player than jokic.
For jokic to crack the top 5, imo, he needs to just keep stacking titles/MVPs. I know this sub slobs all over his advanced stats but his defense is ok at best, and when you’re comparing him to all time great centers, most of those guys were elite defensively AND offensively.
Jokic is just so damn unique with his ball handlign/passing/range that its hard to know where to place him.
does his overall offensive prowess offset his defensive shortcomings when compared to the all time greats? That’s the real debate and why its such a fun one, because there’s never been a center like that before.
He may be the better overall offensive basketball player but he isn’t a better overall player than any of Shaq, Wilt, Bill, Robinson, Hakeem, Ewing, Kareem. Defense is a major factor here. The question is whether Jokic superior offense makes up for his lack of defense and against some guys it does (he’s better than Ewing) and against some it doesn’t.
Kareem?
Dis you forget Hakeem or is there a reason why Malone and Jokic are above him?
He forgot Kareem also
nr 1
32nd
So I think without an entire career of excellence I think you can’t reasonably put him ahead of Hakeem, Shaq, Wilt, Russell, or Kareem. To me he is either 6th or 7th, and the person he is competing with is David Robinson. Personally I think Jokic is the better basketball player peak wise. From an accomplishments standpoint he has the extra MVP, and a championship as the clear best player. So I think by the end of his career Jokic will be clearly ahead of DRob, but right now DRob has more years of elite play, so I would not fight anyone who had DRob 6.
The next person is usually Moses Malone, and I actually feel pretty strongly that Jokic is better, but i’m probably lower on Moses and higher on DRob than most people.
Really well stated. I’m personally really high on Moses strictly based on career comparisons, but Jokic will most likely turn out to be a better player than him by the time he’s done. I also think the Admiral has a strong argument, but like Malone he has his whole career layed out in front of him while Joker has a while left to go, so its hard to say right now
Jokic better than Shaq for sure.
Imagine Jokic with prime Kobe or prime D.Wade.
He even fits young LeBron.
And he definitely ain’t gonna bitchin’ about his partners.
Kareem
Bill
Wilt
Shaq
Hakeem
Jokic
Moses
By greatness top 6/7 (top 5 centers are all in the top 10 greatest players of all time) by performance/skill imo he is the best but it’s hard to compare different eras.
6th! My personal list goes as:
- Kareem
- Wilt
- Russell
- Shaq
- Hakeem
- Jokic
- Malone, M.
- Robinson
- Ewing
- Mikan
His defensive play is underrated. And this year he is much better in that aspect. But I would not look at Jokic as a Center. He is for me creator and scorer. He is an abnormality in that position. For me overall he is the better player but not the best center.
He’s better than Moses and Robinson.