“He’s better than Shaq!” NBA analyst makes BOLD claim about ‘greatest center’ Nikola Jokic

Nikola Jokic has become unstoppable in the NBA, with none of the big men able to contain the Serbian's all out dominance.

“He’s better than Shaq!” NBA analyst makes BOLD claim about ‘greatest center’ Nikola Jokic

Chris Russo has Nikola Jokic above Shaquille O'Neal in his all-time top 5 center list

Nikola Jokic has already cemented himself as one of the best players in the NBA. His stellar play from the center position has already drawn comparisons as to his place in the list of the greatest centers in league history. But ESPN analyst Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo went one further and said the Denver Nuggets superstar might be the greatest center ever, moving him above Shaquille O’Neal.

Chris Russo was talking on ESPN’s First Take about Nikola Jokic‘s dominance in the NBA. While talking about Jokic’s elite skills, Russo went on to claim this;

Jokic might be, at the end of the day, the greatest center in the history of the NBA... He might be at the end of his career. He’s that good. He's better than Shaq. He does everything. He passes, he dribbles, he does enough to dominate. Jokic is great.
Russo via First Take

This claim brought out head-shaking reactions from his co-panelists on the show. But he kept on insisting bringing Jokic’s ability to pass the ball and shoot better than any of the centers on the Top 5 all-time list.

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Russo has already claimed in the past that he does not have Shaquille O’Neal in his top 5 list of best centers in NBA history. Tonight, he was talking about Jokic and the Denver Nuggets‘ chances to repeat as champions. During his rant about Jokic being the best, he claimed that the Serbian national is able to do things the other great centers could not.

His argument is based on the fact that Jokic has an all-round game compared to the other great centers who just focused on scoring and defense. Although Jokic is not a known shot blocker, he has improved his overall defense throughout this season.

Can Nikola Jokic be higher than Shaquille O’Neal in the all-time best centers list?

Since Shaquille O’Neal came into the league in 1992, he was already regarded as the most dominant player in the history of the league. His use of his size and strength, along with his innate ability to locate the basket, made him unstoppable. No defender in the league could guard O’Neal. And he did play against some of the league’s greatest centers during his time.

Nikola Jokic, on the other hand, uses his deft touch on the basketball and his unreal court vision to dominate games. He makes it difficult for opposing defenders to get a read on his game, considering he could pass out to his teammates. But Jokic has three elite scorers as teammates. In comparison, O’Neal never had more than one elite scorer on his teams. So, he could never pass to them in order to win games.

So maybe, the argument is not apples-to-apples. In Shaquille O’Neal’s history, nobody could stop his dominant performances. Fans of the game will have to wait and see if Nikola Jokic finishes his career similarly or not.

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