Nikola Jokic to Aaron Gordon 23/24

“Assist makes two people happy. A point makes one guy happy. Simple as that.”

At the time of this posting (3/29/24), Nikola Jokic has 629 assists through the 70 games he’s played on the season – good for 2nd in the league behind only Tyrese Haliburton. Of those 629, 114 are listed as assists to Aaron Gordon.
The ones that jump to mind are Jokic in the post or on the roll. Joker will either receive the ball in the post or Barkley his way down there, pivot, and generate an angle to get Gordon the ball in a few others can even dream of doing. On the roll, whether he’s short rolling or coming off his patented 2 man game with Jamal Murray, he’ll be headed downhill and Nikola, no matter where Aaron is, will launch the ball like it is a heat seeking missile and nothing else can stop it from getting to its target.

Here’s what I wrote about Jokic back in 2017 (my second Jokic video) and it still sums up the beauty of his game:
Nikola Jokic just genuinely brings joy back to basketball with his bamboozling but brilliant bounce passing. He can thread the needle every which way, and no matter how out of control and off balance he may look, he makes the right reads time and time again to deliver the pass perfectly. Whether it’s in transition, at the top of the key, from the elbows, or in the post, he’s a threat to make a play any conceivable way. The spin he puts on the ball stupefies. The Joker, as some call him, jockeys for position, boxes his man out, brings down the board, and if they have numbers, it’s already over. He’s got that spark of Sabonis, the dazzle of Divac, and Diaw, the wonder of Walton and Webber, the gift of the Gasols, Garnett, and Green, the nuance of Noah, the brilliance of Bird and Bogut (and even Brad Miller). If you give him a chance, he’ll outlet a lot like Love, as unselfishly as Unseld, or go primetime like Penny and sleight of hand his way out of a jam like he’s MAGIC.

The Jokic to Gordon link up is actually the 10th most successful one-player-directly-assisting-to-another pairing this year. 4 of the top 10 are non-primary ball handlers: Domantas Sabonis to Keegan Murray (4th), LeBron James to Anthony Davis (5th), Nikola Jokic to Michael Porter Jr (7th) and Nikola Jokic to Aaron Gordon (10th).
Sixth on that list is actually Jamal Murray to Nikola Jokic and outside of the Denver Nuggets, no team appears more than once in that top 10.

Of those 114 assists, two clips were unavailable. I decided to omit a few others just because there was little flow or I thought the assist wasn’t necessarily warranted.

https://www.pbpstats.com/assist-combo-summary/nba?Season=2023-24&SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason

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Made six straight shots kozma heat check round and out another rebound for jic long pass Gordon’s out there and he puts it away wow Precision pass by Nola yic here’s what’s cool watch this Gordon able to hold kozah with the one sense B lay it in and AG trying to take

Advantage of the mismatch oh another long pass that’s how the turnon Raptors are going to look to score though getting seals getting out in running fast break situations offense not set or your defense not set Das Jones off to a nice start assist and Gordon and hits

Iron Raptors lead by four slow start for Denver well how about that dish that was served up perfectly watch yic this is vinage jic hou and how much he’s improved defensively from that standpoint yic has it five to shoot you oh no looky pass to Aaron Gordon who puts it

Away proving once again he’s got eyes in the back of his head nicolea yic to Aaron Gordon makes the defense think he’s going to spin back around you know in the NFL they have a guy upstairs that’s in charge of the challenge flag for the coaches you should that’s not

Super relevant to an NBA game but yit with an incredible pass to Aaron Gordon every night we see something the starting guard so Brunson would have to be picked by the coaches over the back and it’s all weak side defense Stein’s got 13 his season High 948 Denver in front

Yic no look Gordon one in the morning last night pass oh what a pass a no lookie by Nicole yic matching up with him who guard jic that’ll be the key all night long look at that Bullet Pass Gordon got him beat in the air and Spins one in and

A chance at a three-point play smaller on joic is now em beads Roman coming to help but Aaron Gordon has joic tips it to himself backs in flips it up oh what a pass and Gordon two-point game yic a couple of spins yits the hook no he leaves it for

Gordon what a pass a hook pass yes seven points already this quarter for kaminga yic bumps floats with 21 of those Now yic High post nobody guarding him giant as have the last two been so three in a row for Joker yic has it again give it as will Jamal Murray nine-point lead

For Denver Al oh and it’s a beauty it really constant on trying to stop Joker once he gets it anywhere in the paint when he gets into the paint but he lows you off balance with those quick dribbles and gets the three extra pass guard guards out on the

Perimeter yic from Murray oh he leaves it for Gordon the love from yic ball 10 8562 under 5 minutes to go in the third remember the Nuggets played them all night now Russell Westbrook checking in you’re going to take away your air space now you got to be prepared to put that ball

On the floor make a play y coming up got to be patient work the ball back to that side of the floor I mean TJ What would you guys do in that situation thing he had to do can’t end it he misses on a corner

Pop yic lob they got our truck bug all the production people there’s Murray little pocket pass to Joker first couple shots no don’t is inside and yic clears the Bulls yic still the leading rebounder in the NBA he’s got it yic sets it up to the easy

One yic has it for to shoot yic on the dribble throw two to shoot put it up little fade away and Gordon just got burned by that step through Yiannis with 30 Gordon with the flush Melanie Rick Contin to create Havoc off B oh yic Elliot for in the Finish you can

See that coming once they gave up to Beast line five makes for ass six and the ball’s just moving there’s nothing whatsoever head on a swivel IND he started four or five since they have been held to three playoff time and and I think there’s it sometimes takes some time but I I

Actually yic only has one assist gets the feed from Jackson in jic rips down another rebound that’s his fifth board to go along with 15 points oh how about that pass Yin he saw this play coming Porter’s got two yic got one neither wants to get that extra nuggets have hit five of

14 Yin takes it got to get inside yic get it into Gordon and now yic with it again inside surrounded joic took with in a framework good job here J playing to overplay the passing Lane Tilman got the deflection dumped down to Gordon for the dunk Kat but Denver’s really moving the

Basketball watch Jack tipped up his Miss couldn’t get it to go oh and javelle had a nice screen off of yic right there but Sasha just short on that inside when they lead after the first quarter five and eight when they he don’t like stress that tonight

Yic he’s got nine points had those early back cut joic a little bit of a Zone it looks like John joic inside fing W they just under four minutes to go under to Gordon Gordon going to try to Power It Up you bet you now it’s sa

Bonis and the pass is thrown away give it to yoke to Gordon Gordon takes it Gordon six of nine since they’ve missed five straight shots Gordon sh up team in the first four games of a season ever they’ve got 14 tonight Gordon cuts inside Gordon with 16 first half

Points Murray back to yic under a yic didn’t even look at The Rim first shot drew the wrath of Dominic wilin did his hit six straight s Gordon on the for both teams really you look at it combin they’re one of eight from the floor it’s

Not been a pretty start yic on the short roll out to Aaron Gordon joic hot pass Gordon able to can get you a great possession almost every single time in the half court meanwhile New Orleans on a 10-2 run here’s joic in the middle of the lane I mean

It’s yic 21 points eight assists seven rebounds under the-point lead 7 seconds remaining can the Nuggets craft a bucket here joic dumping under the Gordon Gordon back hand yic double there Away In His Hands enough to catch and go up with it immediately went at his own

Pace there’s a lop over the top as jic catches it up nuggets looking to bounce back after their first loss of the season yic has donic on him these two great players not into yic nuggets by four Murray’s got it Collins on him he should be able to go by him now

Yish pace so far a lot of quick shots going up and down teams uh getting easy layups too he would be in mixed martial arts he loves it but he said beyond the physical training of it he loves the mental part of it back Jackson Man defends

Indic dangerous pass good looked at the roll guy at all pass over and Gordon if this kid acts up you come to me that is a great job officials you got to get to know him great veteran move there by Patrick Bley and then got smoked in the second half

Yic had a perfect pass Aon and they go back to yic to start over again he finds Gordon yach looks up at the shot clock oneon-one now with Davis backs in spins nice feet inside Tatman’s up on yic allars going at it yic somehow gets it to Gordon that Baseline

Run well this is what happens here you got 115 to go nuggets down by two jic has it yic in the lanee under the bo off to joic joic with size on Hardway yic twisting dishing again here’s joic massaging his way double comes joic splits it Gordon eating well underneath and yic against

Simonis giv back a little physicality here yic underneath the gour nice pass he wants to he just he just can’t 10 threes Gordon underneath y you never get tired of that yic double team finds Gordon Gordon Up and Under and he amongst a Thicket of blazers now joic back to

Gordon Gordon on the dribble Drive coming can he play enough 65 games at least to get in consideration for MVP yic and Yannis and both those guys were so good at just finding me on those kick ahead passes so did you ever have a streak

Well and just kind of the shock and awe of Damen Lillard going there too this offseason them stacking that roster even more Gordon for three is that Damon sabonis is aware of this situation and he’s looked for him a couple times here early but he’s the

One a pass into Gordon right into the basket but team like the Nuggets you’re going to have to fight for every single inch 10 straight for Houston first shot and make for Smith the lead Y and now you make sure yis gets Another Touch he gave up the dribble Aaron

Gordon underneath and he can also pop and shoot the three been a perfect system for porzingis there Gordon with a big block at The Rim as the nuggets and scored the last nine points wow on the coun doic inside Denver leads by four with a basketball inside the Gordon and Gordon

Stuffs it down had Wiggins on nuggets an eight-point home favorite tonight Gordon is away Ado switches on to Murray good hands by Duncan Robinson inside Pacers are on a six-game road trip now this is game number two now inside Gordon’s got him again and here in the first quarter look trying to

Find a little inspirationi is in into Gordon Gordon put up an H mid-range jumper Jamal Murray’s missed 14 games ankle and hamstring problems Curry got stuck on jic and Murray have 28 as means the shot clock is down 5 seconds or lower so Dame had to hoist that one up

Not a good look for him but missed time with a knee injury suffered in the summer he’s back playing his 16th Game of the Year G they want to try to get the ball Gordon’s got it in on Hayes going to be a bucket and a foul you bet you

Nuggets in the middle of a nine nothing run quick post up and rim run by Cordon scoring Charlotte 60- 17 so far now Gordon’s going to take a three got it in ties six lead changes McBride no another rebound to joic Gordon’s got it Gordon spins Gordon score scoots got a little

Scoop to him he does 15-7 nuggets ball thrown away yic has it out the Gord look out thr and Gordon Slammer raama cell short Christian Brown chasing after that oh look at this long pass and Gordon’s got