Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets aren’t necessarily a team known for their defense.
They were quite literally a middle-of-the-pack team on the defensive end. Denver’s defensive rating in the regular season was 113.5, which was good for the 15th-best defense in the league. They were OK, but not great.
Part of the problem is that they don’t have a rim protector. For as great as Nikola Jokic is, his athletic limitations on defense are one of his warts.
But Jokic has found a way to work around that and he does it by bending one of the NBA’s rules: The Striked the Ball rule.
According to the rule, players aren’t allowed to kick the ball or strike it with their fists. Any attempt to do so rewards the opponent with possession of the ball and a reset shot clock. It’s simple.
It’s also not very punitive. It doesn’t reward the opponent with points or free throws — it just gives them the ball back instead of giving them a score. That’s a win for the defense, even if the possession continues.
Jokic has used this rule to his advantage on defense all season long including in the Nuggets’ biggest game of the season on Friday in Game 4 against the Heat. The Nuggets got some key stops on Miami because of Jokic’s craftiness.
Let’s take a look at it.