When you think of Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, what words come to mind when you think of how to best describe who he is as a player? Offensive savant? Passing genius? How about defensive mastermind? Some may doubt Jokic’s defensive abilities. Frankly, the notion that Jokic is not a good defensive player is something that really irks Nuggets head coach Michael Malone.

“What gets tiresome is people criticizing Nikola’s defense because he doesn’t average three blocks per game,” Malone said.

“But if you really are a basketball purist and you watch the game, you see he’s got some of the best hands in the NBA, bar none. … He’s never gonna out-athleticize anybody, but he is going to out-smart you. Tremendous anticipation. Great hands. And I think one of the most underrated defenders in the entire NBA.”

Malone does have a point. Just because Jokic’s defensive numbers aren’t popping off the stat sheet, doesn’t mean he should be overlooked as a defender. In fact, in the Nuggets’ comeback win against the Toronto Raptors, Jokic put on quite a defensive performance. On top of posting 35 points and 12 assists, Jokic collected a whopping 17 rebounds, as well as six steals and two blocks.

Jokic’s defensive play was crucial to the Nuggets’ victory. The Nuggets were playing quite slowly at one point and were behind by 22 points. The Nuggets made the decision to wake up after the break and came roaring back to win 125-119.

Coach Malone typically assigns a defensive player of the game chain following a victory. Malone determined that Jokic and Jamal Murray would split the “defensive player of the half” award for their performance in the second half of the game because the Nuggets’ defense was so subpar in the first half.