Steve Kerr heaped praise on their playoff opponent Nikola Jokic in the first round of the playoffs, calling him one of the ‘smartest’ players in the NBA and that the Warriors will need to pick their poison against him,
The Warriors are just days away from playing in their first NBA playoff game since the 2018-19 season, and coach Steve Kerr shared how he plans to prepare for Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
The reigning NBA MVP will take on the Warriors during the first round of the playoffs beginning Saturday at Chase Center.
Jokic has made his case for back-to-back MVP awards after averaging 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists this season. He is one of the most consistent players in the league and has been even more dangerous down the final stretch of the regular season.
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And Kerr is fully aware of just how versatile the Joker’s game is.
“That’s what makes him special, it’s pick your poison,” Kerr told reporters on Tuesday. “He can score 1-on-1 down on the block, brilliant passer. Biggest thing for us is we can’t give up the easy stuff.”
The 6-foot-11 center is a bully in the paint, but also passes like a point guard.
When Kerr was asked if he sees Jokic as a more dangerous scorer or a more dangerous passer, Kerr had the perfect response.
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“Yes,” Kerr said before chuckling.
The one-word answer really said everything about Jokic’s game.
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But it’ll be up to Kerr and the Warriors to try and contain the four-time All-Star in the seven-game series.