Cutting Hakeem Olajuwon rather than Nikola Jokic lands former NBA wunderkind in debate with fans

Brandon Jennings has sparked heated debate as NBA fans debate between Hakeem Olajuwon, Nikola Jokic and other legendary bigs.

Cutting Hakeem Olajuwon rather than Nikola Jokic lands former NBA wunderkind in debate with fans

Hakeem Olajuwon, Nikola Jokic (Images via Wikimedia)

Big men have been the class of the NBA for the better part of the league’s 78-season history. The league first came into notice of the American public with George Mikan revolutionizing the center role. Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain got the torch from Mikan and passed it to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who set an untouchable standard that big men since have been striving to emulate. The likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and now Nikola Jokic have staked their names in this conversation since then.

The re-emergence of big men like Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid has been a breath of fresh air. The mid-00s till late-2010s were shorn of big men who could carry teams to championship contention. Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki held the fort down for them, but all three of them are pure 4s.

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It is the advent of the current generation that has brought the spotlight back to the 5 role. Jokic’s triple-double average this year has put him in contention for a fourth MVP award in five years. Giannis, Embiid and Jokic have together won the last six MVP trophies. The Serbian’s place in league history has been solidified over the past three seasons, and now fans are having conversations about his place among the pantheon big men.

A graphic asking people the weak link among Jokic, O’Neal, Abdul-Jabbar and Olajuwon recently went viral. Brandon Jennings picked Hakeem Olajuwon as his answer.

The former Bucks star has been a panelist on the viral daily basketball show Gil’s Arena for a while now. His appreciation for Jokic’s impact on the Denver Nuggets has been a consistent theme of his analysis. Jennings’ latest tweet puts Jokic among the most dominant big men in the 3-point era over Olajuwon. Given his dominant run over the past five seasons, it is hard to deny his place among all-time greats.

NBA fans pile on Brandon Jennings for picking Nikola Jokic over Hakeem Olajuwon

Hakeem ‘The Dream’ Olajuwon was certainly one of the most dominant, consequential big men in league history. He won two Finals MVP trophies and put together perhaps the most accolade-filled single season in basketball history in 1993-94. He is considered a true basketball royal, and therefore Jennings’ take putting Jokic over him has rubbed quite a few people the wrong way.

A fan urged the 35-year-old to ‘get drug-tested’.

A few fans believe that Jennings’ take is rooted in recency bias.

However, there was also a sizeable amount of support for Jennings’ take. After all, Jokic is on track to become only the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double on 40% shooting from the 3-point line.

Some suggested the likes of Shaq as their selections

The important aspect of this conversation is the fact that Jokic has begun truly meriting his place here. While it is undoubtedly tough to pick him over two-way juggernauts like Abdul-Jabbar or Olajuwon, his offensive impact is perhaps the largest by a single player in league history.

He is an efficient shooter from every spot on the floor and he raises the Nuggets’ efficiency to historic levels when on the floor. There may never be another player able to make their teammates better as well as Jokic has done.