Alright, let’s dive into something I was doing back around 2015. I remember spending a fair bit of time watching basketball then, just catching games when I could.
The Denver Nuggets, well, they weren’t exactly top of the league. But I started noticing this rookie they had, this Serbian guy, Nikola Jokic. He got drafted the year before but came over for the 2015-16 season.
Honestly, my first impression was kinda mixed. He didn’t look like the usual super athletic big men you saw dominating. He played at a different pace, you know? Slower, more methodical.
Keeping Tabs on the Rookie
But then, I started really watching how he played. The thing that jumped out? His passing. It was just different. For a big guy, the court vision was something else. He wasn’t just making easy passes; he was throwing dimes from the high post, behind-the-back stuff sometimes, things you didn’t often see from centers back then.
So, I made it a point to track him a bit that season. It wasn’t anything formal, just my own little routine. Here’s what I did:
- I’d try to catch Nuggets games or at least the highlights, specifically looking for his plays.
- I kept a simple mental checklist, sometimes jotting down notes on his assists and how he moved the ball.
- I paid close attention to those unique passes – the ones that made you go “huh, didn’t see that coming”.
I remember trying to tell a couple of friends, “Hey, keep an eye on this Jokic fella for Denver.” Most of them just shrugged it off. They were focused on other rookies or bigger names. Heard stuff like, “He’s too slow,” or “Just another European big.”
My little ‘practice’ was really just observing and confirming my own gut feeling. I watched him develop throughout that rookie season, noticing how his role slowly grew, how the offense sometimes started flowing through him even then.
It was just interesting to follow, seeing a player with such a unique style trying to make his way in the league. Didn’t need complex analysis, just watching the game and seeing something different. Looking back, it’s kinda neat thinking about spotting that potential way back in 2015. Just a personal observation I kept track of.
