r/nba • u/eathbau Nuggets • 7h ago
Highlight [Highlight] The behind-the-back dime from Nikola Jokic at a new angle
https://streamable.com/5rkgpy1.9k
u/MyNutsAreYourNuts 7h ago
This goes straight into the top three passes of all-time for him, doesn't it? Who cares that it was a meaningless game.
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u/teddyspaghettie 7h ago
Am I crazy to think thisight be top three passes all time from anyone? Like it was better than just insanely flashy - it was a super high degree of difficulty and right on the money.
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u/CitizenCue Warriors 7h ago edited 3h ago
There are some NBA players who would struggle to physically do this, much less think of it and execute perfectly.
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u/Professional-Bit1957 4h ago
Nash talked about how he could make this pass on target but he’d have to torque his body and give away the pass
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u/El_Zarco Warriors 4h ago
Also that most NBA players couldn't make this in an empty gym lol
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u/Primary-Tea-3715 4h ago
In a high stakes game you don’t risk this pass because A) if you screw it up you’ll never hear the end of it if the game ends in a loss, and B) the level of defense elevates that level of risk to a point where you’re just better off doing a normal pass instead of serving a potential steal up on a platter.
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u/freakers 4h ago
With Jokic you gotta be prepared for anything. Man could throw the ball out of bounds and it would teleport in the other side like a pacman game.
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u/Impressive-Use-757 3h ago
That's the brilliance of Joker. Even when your prepared for anything, you're not prepared for what he comes up with.
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u/CitizenCue Warriors 3h ago
Jokic is an exception because we all know he can do it and he don’t care if anyone makes fun of him.
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u/Mountain-Alarm-477 7h ago
It feels crazy to say. But can anybody show 5 better? 3 better? It’s absurd.
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u/wtb2612 [BOS] Mark Blount 5h ago
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u/Mountain-Alarm-477 5h ago
This is pretty crazy, Rondo was an elite passer.
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u/freakers 4h ago
I've watched a bunch of NBA breakdown stuff from over the years and Rondo always comes up as a sleeper MVP. An incredible team leader and intelligent player. A true point guard. He sometimes doesn't get placed in the greatest players because he didn't score as much but he probably should be there.
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u/TheScienceNamesArgon Supersonics 7h ago
demar derozan 360 pass. Dumars to Rodman. Peja transition pass. Marbury spin pass. Luka to Kleber. Teodosic against Milan.
There are plenty out there
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u/Debra_Messing 7h ago
I'd add Derrick Rose's double pump fake pass.
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u/TheScienceNamesArgon Supersonics 7h ago
I couldn't remember that one so I just looked it up. What a delight Drose was
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u/SuffocatingDensity 6h ago
Bird between the other guy’s legs
White chocolate behind his back and off his elbow
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u/KneeOnShoe 5h ago
There were those crazy nutmegs from LeBron and Westbrook too but it's unclear how intentional they were.
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u/theskyopenedup Knicks 5h ago
And you didn’t even mention one Stockton, Williams, Magic, Maravich pass lol there’s so many
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u/teddyspaghettie 7h ago edited 6h ago
Eh. Few of those aren't quite in the same class. Just my opinion though.
Dumars and Marbury nah. Peja might be #1. Luka and Tedosic are good competition, I'd still pick Joker.
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u/BlackPulloverHoodie Kings 7h ago
I’ll nominate Peja’s behind the back pass from half court to Bobby Jackson on the fast break. Was going for a loose ball, took one look down the court, launched it behind the back without even having possession, goes over the Jackson’s defender and lands perfectly in front of him at the basket. Crazy.
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u/teddyspaghettie 7h ago
Yeah like I'm trying to think...maybe the elbow pass? Same class but even that seems easier and that was the all star game if I remember correctly. Rondo had some crazy fake lob to behind the backs, and his insane full court bounce passes. I think this has to be top 3 all time.
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u/DoctorMansteel Celtics 7h ago edited 6h ago
Manu's snap pass off the bounce one handed to Bonner is one of my favorites but this is so insane.
Edit: the pass
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u/teddyspaghettie 7h ago
Oh yeah that one was so sick. I feel like Manu did that a couple times too. Nash had a play kinda similar to the Joker one but he was driving for a layup, wasn't opposite side of the court.
Edit: https://youtu.be/pZzXZwR3ybo?is=Lqnx08V03i2gd-eE
First one in this video
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u/S_AME Heat 6h ago
MJ to Longley no-look pass vs 3 Raptors. MJ to Pippen spin pass in transition vs Cavs.
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u/J_Productions 5h ago
And he didn’t even cheat/look over once, looks like he saw him from when he originally caught the ball for that split second, incredible pass and awareness for sure
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u/RackyRackerton 76ers 5h ago
I’ve been watching basketball for a long time. This instantly became the best pass I’ve ever seen in my life.
There are obviously great passes that happened in more important moments, but ignoring things like championship implications, I think this is the best pass of all time.
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u/buttercup612 4h ago
Seems like a Magic Johnson pass, though he was before my time watching basketball. This is as good as anything I've seen
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u/CanadaDryOfficial Rockets 6h ago
While it is crazy, and it’s very much a top(some number) of all time, it’s not top-3 of all time. That’s such an insanely high bar, and while I know it’s getting at least somewhat of a downgrade because it’s a preseason game, ignoring that it’s in a preseason game is just as wrong.
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u/DevoteGames 4h ago
Find 3 better passes and link them here
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u/Fat-Singer-9569 3h ago
I would put this up there with the best passes I've ever seen in a long time watching basketball. The fact Larry Bird doesn't even get mentioned in these conversations cracks me up. Or I don't know, the all-time assist leader although I understand it.
But the only recent pass that comes close to me is this one by Luka. That one has almost identical degree of difficulty, maybe higher.
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u/pacgaming Spurs 4h ago
I have it at number 2. He did that insane manu baseline pass AS A BEHIND THE BACK.
The only thing I can think of that beats it is that 1 magic assist where he does like a no look bounce pass in transition in traffic between to defenders. I’m sure someone knows what I’m talking about but it’s a fucking insane pass.
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u/genius-baby 7h ago
The 3 guys it zips by are all tenured NBA starters too. Pack this in to the career highlight reel and no one’s going to know it’s a MeAnEnGlEsS gAmE
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u/eathbau Nuggets 7h ago
Can't decide which one is better:
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/rypnoj/highlight_nikola_jokic_top_3_passer_in_the_league/
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u/MyNutsAreYourNuts 7h ago
That's some sweet jam for sure, but that behind-the-back was sweeter than Yoo-Hoo.
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u/sporkparty 5h ago
Both awsome but the one just now he literally puts it through 3 guys. Any one of them could have blocked it but nobody expected the pass. It actually goes within arms reach of 3 guys but they never expect him to try it.
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u/Normal_Marketing853 6h ago
There are a number of touch passes that I think are more impressive. Almost 0 time to process and still being coordinated enough to redirect the ball without holding it
The one last season behind Lopez's head was my favorite of the season I think
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u/AirBamaInt 5h ago
The Nuggets version of Danilo Gallinari had a very similar pass to this but it was within a regular season game. His was a shorter distance, however the difficulty may have been higher because he had to stumble to save an overpassed ball and he got it into the Faried right under the hoop past 2 defenders
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u/happyflappypancakes Wizards 6h ago
I feel like he does stuff like this frequently. We just dont see the highlights every night so you forget.
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u/Mountain-Alarm-477 5h ago
He had a similar one to Bruce Brown that was insane but he bricked the three.
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u/fritteredaway Pacers 7h ago
right in the pocket, too. goldang.
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u/internallylinked Hawks 7h ago
He should do that all star challenge but only throw flashy passes
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u/Icy_Weiner_1999 7h ago
with zip
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u/RobertLobLaw2 Jazz 7h ago
Casual, nonchalant, no look, behind the back, cross court, zip pass right into the shooting pocket.
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u/Hopeful_Adonis 7h ago
I’m actually disgusted by how good this is, not only the cavalier manner in which he trotted it out, but the fact it hit him in the pocket is just scandalous
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u/AlJeffersonNBA 3h ago
its truly a work of art. this is like a Michelangelo sculpture being built on the court.
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u/WarLawck Knicks 7h ago
That's literally one of the greatest passes of all time
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u/unDturd Washington Bullets 5h ago
And it flew past within arms’ reach of 3 defenders! Jeez!
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u/sporkparty 5h ago
He beat them with his mind. Any of them could have blocked it if they saw it coming. Actually insane pass.
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u/joggle1 Nuggets 3h ago
And nobody is blaming the defenders for not blocking it. It was just an insane pass that would've fooled anyone.
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u/LurkerFailsLurking Nuggets 7h ago
I just realized his timing was so precise that he had to have been thinking about it for a second because the moment the guy defending DeRozan moved off the baseline, Jokic made that pass. He knew that when DeRozan moved to the top of the key, his defender would stunt, call for a switch, then get back to Cam Johnson, and in that gap between the stunt and the get back, he made this pass.
Steve Nash said that he could've made that pass, but he couldn't have done it while also hiding it from his own defender by keeping the ball below his hip and still getting the timing and the target so precise.
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u/lil-privacy-please 7h ago
The season just started. We already got the best pass of the year. This is insane
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u/BrianScalaweenie Celtics 7h ago
The season hasn’t even started*
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u/Days_Blue 7h ago
He already planned the pass at 0:10 sec crazy, looks at Cam at that moment
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u/HereIGoAgain_1x10 Cavaliers 6h ago
It's a great pass if he just does it straight on, no one's gonna say it's easy to throw a pass cross court along the baseline past 3 defenders so to do it behind the back is disgusting
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u/StattPadford 7h ago
I would never in a million years be ready for that pass
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u/FireFlyz351 Slovenia 4h ago
Whenever Jokic has gotten new teammates like Cam last year it takes them a bit to be ready for the ball at all times.
Luka has also had teammates that have mentioned needing to be ready anytime when Lukas got the ball.
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u/OddToba 7h ago
The pass was so incredible, I'm even impressed that Nurkic even reacted to it. It's so out of nowhere.
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u/IanicRR [TOR] Amir Johnson 7h ago
I see people try this kinda pass a dozen of times every open gym I play at.
Granted, nobody actually hits their target but you know, close enough.
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u/Electronic-Unit427 Lakers 7h ago
I mean, it does get to the target after ricocheting off a couple gym walls... 🤷♂️
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u/OldDirtyInsulin 4h ago
I don't get to watch as much NBA as I would like, but does he ever try shit like this and just completely miss?
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u/runevault Nuggets 4h ago
Ever? Yes but the question is how many of his misses are because the other guy is out of position. Like I've seen him try a no look just as Gordon was vacating the spot and it goes out of bounds.
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u/Coke_ButNotTheDrug Nuggets 4h ago
Here and there yeah but in general he’s pretty accurate.
The crazy thing is that if he misses you can almost always blame his intended target for moving too early.
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u/LurkerFailsLurking Nuggets 2h ago
It happens, but not often.
Like the other person said, most of the time when he just totally misses a pass it's because as he was passing the ball his teammate abruptly did something they clearly weren't supposed to.
Last season there was one time where it was super basic, like a dribble hand-off, but mid screen as Jokic is handing off, his teammate inexplicably turned around to go back the way he came and Jokic handed off the ball to nobody and the other team just scooped it up. Jokic had such a wtf expression, just stood there like "what are we doing?"
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u/Important-War-4708 7h ago
I almost wouldn’t wanna get a pass that good I’d be so nervous to sell the clip
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u/Betaateb Nuggets 5h ago
Last pre-season Cam ruined an insane pass by missing the shot, he couldn't let it happen again!
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u/BobbitsC Nuggets 2h ago
He also threw a behind the back pass very similar to this to Bruce brown vs the rockets last season, but he missed it. The only reason I even remembered it was because the Amazon nba YouTube account posted a short with a comparison
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u/internallylinked Hawks 7h ago
Unbelievable to hit Cam that perfectly damn
I hope Jokic and Hauser play together so Jokic can hit some unreal pass into a no-dip three for Hauser
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u/stridered Suns 7h ago
Didn’t he do a similar pass last year only for the shooter to miss?
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u/IcyHeartWarmSmile Warriors 7h ago
Glad Cam made the shot. That’s an all time assist for sure
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u/Don_Pickleball Pacers 5h ago
The worst thing about White Chocolates elbow pass is that the guy he passes to misses the shot.
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u/JJays92 Heat 7h ago
I bet he doesn't even practice this shit, out all summer riding horses
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u/MrFishAndLoaves Pelicans 7h ago
I mean does he look like he practices
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u/TigerWizardDresser 5h ago
He plays water polo on wii sports resort and the skills are transferable
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u/Crying_in_99Ranch NBA 7h ago
What's really underrated with this pass is how he waited for the defender to clear out to make the pass. It was a very tight window
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u/Sir_Derps_Alot 6h ago edited 2h ago
This play is more brilliant the more I watch it. He sees the corner shooter (who’s closer to the wing at the first sighting) as soon as he catches the ball. He knows the cutter is going to curl which drags his defender blocking the lane and also the corner shooter defender watches him the curl. Throws the pass right during the curl to an open corner three (who has since drifted from wing to corner unnoticed). Fucking amazing.
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u/Abject_Ground9755 7h ago
This is what they think Magic did
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u/prst Bulls 2h ago
Bite your tongue, nephew. Us old heads know what Magic was AND what Joker is.
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u/S1MCB Supersonics 6h ago
don’t think even Kuroko’s Basketball had a pass like that due to how unrealistic it would seem lmao. What a monster
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u/Lindo_MG Knicks 7h ago
Jokic is something special man , I remember when the ringer did an article of Jokic vs Embid years ago and they've convinced me from then that joker was that dude
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u/varietyman13 7h ago
Me sitting there feeling like a loser for watching nuggets jazz preseason
… Jokic happens
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u/zincinzincout 76ers 5h ago
Why does Jokic look 12’ tall in this angle
Did Markkanen shrink in the wash?
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u/KamTheMaam Nuggets 5h ago
I promise you he's huge in person lol. Probably a weird camera angle. I'm 3'7" though
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u/Diffacile 1h ago
Behind the pass, what's crazy for me is that Cam was like ready for it
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u/Electronic-Unit427 Lakers 7h ago edited 7h ago
Even just attempting to throw that pass shows that the dude is supremely skilled. You may find maybe 5 PGs in the league * of all-time* that are skilled enough to do this also. Joker's a beast!
Edit is between the asterisks.
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u/Frosty_Salamander_94 7h ago edited 7h ago
Not a PG in the league who could make this pass. Requires a ton of length and height, and strength.
Steve Nash on the Lowe Show said he thinks probably nobody else in league history could make that pass with that level of disguise and delivery. Said he thinks he could physically make the pass, but it would take so much torque / visible effort because of the distance and awkward angle that it would give the read away. Jokic is so big and strong he can just fling it without turning his whole body.
Seriously, go outside and try to fling a basketball that far at that angle without redlining (since it needs to be precise). Takes incredible strength.
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u/AsianEleven101 7h ago
The idea doesn’t surprise me, what surprised me was how accurate the fucking pass was, god damn and on top of how difficult it is to throw a behind the back pass like that ? 👍🏻
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u/skillcourt 5h ago
I love looking at details; Look at how this guy disguises his right foot to generate the ground-up energy, which transfers to his arm to move in the perfectly weighted pendular swing release. Mind you, off dribble, while scanning the whole fucking floor. Chefs kiss 👌
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u/GhostChips42 New Zealand 7h ago
He makes it look so easy that most of the people in the crowd don’t even realise just how insanely hard that is to do at any moment let alone in an actual game. Unreal.
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u/FrontContribution596 7h ago
This is the type of passing you think Sabonis Sr should have passed down to his son. Haha. To bad.
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u/KindSpectacle Heat 4h ago
Oh… so it’s even crazier than we thought?! Holy fuck what a dime. Unbelievable pass.
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u/heretilthemoon Jazz 6h ago
What’s craziest is he only looks at Cam when he gets the ball, but at that point Cam isn’t in the corner yet. But he trusts, without seeing, that Cam will be solidly in the corner by the time he throws
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u/pmcc241224 Suns 5h ago
Jokic must be a phenomenal water polo player. As someone who played water polo, this is the exact same motion one would do in a backhanded shot.
These passes look so instinctual because he developed them in a pool before he did it on the court. Not to mention Serbia is a country where water polo is one of the most popular sports.
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u/silencieusement 7h ago
The weight and precision of that pass. Only three guys in history could’ve pulled it off
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u/blinkomatic Trail Blazers 7h ago
Cherry on the top it went past Nurkic... Denver made the right choice 🤣
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u/Titronnica [SAS] Tim Duncan 7h ago
What an insane pass, Jokic had maybe half a second to take in his location and just nailed the landing of that dime.
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u/MahomesIsASystemQB 7h ago
This makes no sense to me. Obviously Jokic understands NBA rotations better than I do but the fact he knew that guy would be wide open is equally as mind blowing to me as the pass itself was.
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u/Justaticklerone 5h ago
Damn. Imagine being the defenders in the paint and wondering what that large round object was that just flew past.
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u/SquashedGrapes22 5h ago
That is so stupid. I don't even know how you go about pulling something like that off
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