As the NBA world watched and held its collective breath as Nikola Jokic fell to the floor, grabbing his knee in obvious pain, it was hard not to think about how rare it is to see Jokic on the floor, struggling to get up. It’s not to say other players are faking injuries or exaggerating contact for the benefit of a whistle, but Jokic isn’t one to flop around on the floor when he’s okay.
It was even noticeable to the opposition on Monday night, as after the game, Bam Adebayo was asked about facing Jokic and praised him for the way he competes, saying, “It’s always fun playing against him, “It’s always fun playing against him… You see the greatness… It’s competition at the end of the day… he’s one of those guys that doesn’t really flop, and I truly respect that… you hate to see guys go out.