Hall of Fame Boston Celtics forward Dino Radja recently discussed why he believes Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is one of the best in the game today in an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Eric Jay Santos, But he also explained why all-time greatest player lists are, in his opinion, inherently flawed.
“Nikola (Jokic) is a great player with (a) huge basketball IQ,” related Radja of the newly crowned champion. “(He’s) fun to watch. Any (greatest of all time) list is unfair because you can’t compare different generations and – as the NBA has progressed — (there are) different rules to the game.”
The implication made by the former Boston forward on another Balkan big man is that Jokic’s rightful place among the basketball greats cannot be accurately determined within the context of such lists, and we’re inclined to agree.
Celtics Lab 203: On the lack of love and trust in Boston after Marcus Smart's trade with Jack Simone https://t.co/lr6QR8rck4 via @thecelticswire pic.twitter.com/iZWfF0u1ch
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) June 22, 2023
While the fixation on ranking players will never go away, the gradual evolution of the game makes such cross-era comps inherently fraught — but few would argue that the Joker is not among the game’s greats of today.
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