Over the past couple of weeks, Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone has put NBA media on blast for the lack of attention his team and superstar Nikola Jokic have gotten.
Some members of the media even admitted that they hadn’t actually watched him play, which is unacceptable, considering he’s perhaps the best offensive force in the league right now.
However, as great as Jokic is, his game isn’t ‘sexy,’ for the viewers, which is why former All-Star Gilbert Arenas believes he and his team don’t get the recognition they deserve.
Gilbert Arenas Says NBA Fans Don’t Care About Great Teams Anymore
“Nobody wants to watch great teams play. They want to watch great dominant players,” Arenas said. “For the consumer, Jokic’s game is not sexy. It’s sexy for basketball players, like, oh man, what he’s doing is unreal.”
“But if you’re not like Giannis or Ja Morant, jumping out of the gym, putting your elbows in the backboard, or you’re shooting 50-foot three-pointerss,” added Arenas. “Other than that, what are the stars doing in those big cities? So, no matter how you sell them, unless he’s in Boston, New York, LA, no one’s going to be paying attention to their game.”
“You know Jokic can win this championship,” Arenas concluded. “No one’s going to care. Let’s just be honest. I’m sorry. He’s not gonna go from where he is right now to this super megastar because he’s not doing anything kids want to see.”
This is the harsh truth and what’s wrong with highlight culture. Hopefully, history will one day give the players like Jokic and the teams like the Nuggets their rightful place.
