Even when Nikola Jokic’s message gets lost in translation — and it does — the gesticulation is hard to misinterpret.
“When he is yelling things,” Christian Braun said, laughing, “a lot of times, it is hard to understand.”
That thick Balkan accent is usually fixated on the next schematic adjustment. But that tone is urgent, the pantomime act more profound than the tweak in back-side spacing he wants on his next post-up.
The prevailing image of Jokic for the last six weeks has been that of his demonstrative countenance, his passionate gesturing on the sideline. An image antithetical to 10 years of carefully assembled public perception.