Nikola Jokic had a rough first half on Saturday night, but he has more than earned some leeway, and he more than bounced back with a dominant second half that fueled the Nuggets’ massive comeback win to beat the Hawks. But it wasn’t good enough to silence his harshest critic, himself.
After the game, Jokic said in the first half he was playing “too sissy”, explaining that he wasn’t attacking or being aggressive enough and was “just kind of there”. Most people would give the three-time MVP a pass for going one half without being the most engaged player, but he was clearly disappointed in himself, and he showed it with both his actions and his words.