KAT is a ~Top 10 player, and has been for a while.
People may argue this, but go and compare Jokic’s career stats with KAT’s.
They’re almost identical, but Nikola is a better passer while KAT is the better (outside) shooter.
Except KAT was doing it sooner, while being drafted a year later. I digress.
Today Jokic is hailed as one of the greatest players to ever play, hands down the best passing Center, while KAT gets thrown into trade scenarios the entire year round… What a joke.
If the Wolves get the better seed, or better yet, the playoffs win,
I want ya’ll to know two things.
One, KAT is close to, if not equal to, if not better than, Jokic.
And two, the supporting cast is just as important as your big two or three.
Look up the last 5 champions. Nuggets, Warriors, Bucks, Lakers, Raptors.
In the biggest of these games, there’s guys like Aaron Gordon, Andrew Wiggins, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jrue Holiday or Fred VanFleet scoring like 10 more points than their average.
Almost like clockwork, the cast is, at times, as important as the stars.
Imagine having a 15 5 and 5 guy, and he’s your 4th best player. That’s Toni Kukoc.
That’s the 72-10 Bulls.
Look at Manu. Guy was like a 15ppg scorer his whole career. Every time the Spurs won a title, he scored ~27 or more in 1 or 2 games, each series. Yeah, of course Duncan, but when your 3rd best player keeps getting career highs in big games during the playoffs, your team will probably win championships.
When the Wolves win it all this year, KAT and Ant will be forefront,
but Jaden and Naz and Rudy will be equally as important, in their respective roles.
I fucking guarantee you, if Jaden and Naz average 14 apiece in the playoffs, we won’t even lose 2 games in a series.
Thanks for my reading my Ted Talk,
I’m firmly back aboard the KAT train, but he’s not Jokic. Jokic is a Bonafide perennial MVP candidate (he’s won twice), 3x all NBA first team, a champion, and finals MVP – all something that cannot be said of KAT. Jokic is already 4th all time in triple doubles. I know some of these things are subjective, but winning isn’t subjective. KAT’s teams have lost 18 of their 28 matchups against Jokic’s teams. Jokic teams have won 37 playoff games to KAT’s 4. KAT is 233-284 in his career. Jokic is 360-247.
Jokic is already being mentioned in the same breath as all-time legends of the sport, and he doesn’t appear to be slowing down. KAT certainly looks different this season, and on paper some of their stats are really similar, but MOST people would probably choose Jokic over KAT every day of the week.