REPORT : Spurs legend Tim Duncan reportedly confirm dead at 46

It may not seem obvious at first glance, but Nikola Jokic and Tim Duncan share a lot of similarities. Both are big men who allows their teams to build their offense around the post and around pick-and-rolls. The Nuggets star is the more versatile scorer, since his range extends beyond the three-point line. He is also, hands-down, the best big-man passer the world has ever seen. But Duncan is the far superior defender, as he was worthy of winning the Defensive Player of the Year in his heyday.

Nonetheless, the main similarity Jokic and Duncan share, according to George Karl, is the fact that the two don’t hog the spotlight. They are stone-cold killers who do what is necessary to win, but they carry themselves as if they’re just another member of their team.

“What I love about him is that he makes people better and he cares about how other people play; he goes out of his way to make other guys feel a part of the team. He has tremendous humility, he’s a low maintenance teammate,” Karl said of Jokic.

Tim Duncan was never the most marketable star in the NBA, but at his prime, he was in the running for the distinction of best player in the association. Nikola Jokic is very similar in that regard; his apparent nonchalance towards basketball grabbed headlines following the 2023 NBA Finals, and it seemed as if he would much rather tend to his horses in his farm back in Serbia than play basketball for a living.

But, like Duncan, Jokic appears to be on track to win multiple rings. The Nuggets, however, won’t find their repeat bid to be a cakewalk. The Minnesota Timberwolves stand in their way in what’s shaping up to be the best matchup of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs.

Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, a heavyweight clash