Nick Young Accuses Nikola Jokic of Flopping Just like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic

Former NBA guard Nick Young has claimed that Nikola Jokic flops as much as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic.

Nick Young Accuses Nikola Jokic of Flopping Just like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic

Nick Young on Nikola Jokic flopping (Image credits - Firstsportz)

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Not many fans would argue against the fact that Nikola Jokic is the best player in the world at the moment. The Denver Nuggets suffered a blowout 147-123 loss to the Miami Heat at the Kaseya Center on Monday night. Despite the disappointing loss, the major concern for the Nuggets was Jokic’s knee injury sustained at the end of the first half after a dominant display.

But the basketball gods were kind to the Nuggets and the fans as it was reported that Nikola Jokic‘s injury is not serious and he should be back in 4-6 weeks’ time. The Nuggets center is the frontrunner for the NBA MVP award at the moment as he is currently averaging 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 11 assists.

It is hard to imagine a player who has won three league-MVP awards is still getting better. Prior to the injury, Jokic was having a historic season and is the main reason for the Nuggets’ strong start to the season as they sit at third in the Western Conference standings with a 22-10 record.

A few weeks back, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown made a controversial statement that flopping helps players to be in the MVP conversations. While Jokic is an offensive force and continues to put up historic numbers, he is often criticized for flopping and arguing with referees if the calls do not go in his favor.

Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic are two players who get called out for flopping the most as they lead the league in free-throw attempts this season. Coincidentally, these three players are the top-three contenders for the MVP award at the moment.

After the Nuggets-Heat game, Heat star Bam Adebayo was against the narrative that Jokic flops and defended the Serbian while former NBA player Nick Young had an opposing view on Jokic’s flopping on The Gil’s Arena podcast and compared it to SGA and Doncic flopping.

You can’t touch Joker. As much as we talk about Shai and all that flopping, Joker flails and does it more than anybody in the league. He flails, and they give him everything. We talk about SGA, Luka, they all do the same thing them 3. I never hear nobody say anything bad about Joker.

While Doncic and SGA are first and third in free throw attempts, Jokic is ranked ninth in the league, averaging 7.4 free throw attempts per game.

Fans react to Nick Young’s comments on Nikola Jokic flopping

Both Adebayo’s and Young’s statements were quick to go viral due to their opposing takes, and fans were quick to react to that across social media. Here are some of the reactions:

Kenyon Martin calls for a rule change after Jokic’s injury

Former number one pick in the 2000 NBA draft, Kenyon Martin, has called for the NBA to change the 65-game minimum rule for eligibility for regular-season awards. A little over one-third into the 2025-26 campaign, Jokic leads the race for the MVP title this season, which would be his fourth overall, putting him in an elite list of NBA legends.

Nikola Jokic's knee injury could derail Nuggets' goals
Nikola Jokic’s knee injury could derail Nuggets’ goals (Image via Sports Rap Network/X)

But after the injury, Jokic’s chances of winning the MVP award look slim, as he is reported to miss over a month and thus end up missing quite a few games. It is unfortunate for Jokic as he may miss out on the award despite having a historic season.

On the Gil’s Arena podcast, Martin wanted the NBA to lift the eligibility criteria of 65-games.

Him not to be available for season awards is a big tragedy. Y’all talking about Nikola. I’m talking about guys playing well; injuries are part of the game, we know that. They put this 65-game minimum because of load management. Teams are sitting healthy guys when these fans are paying their hard-earned money to see these stars play. The league did something about it. So they tried to penalize them because of that.

With the number of injuries piling up each season, it remains to be seen whether the NBA decides to change the rule or scrap the eligibility criteria altogether.

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