Nikola Jokic admits Nuggets are playing a new ‘kind’ of Lakers team
The Denver Nuggets are on the doorstep of reaching its first NBA Finals in franchise history.
However, the task of reaching that stage comes with a rematch against the Los Angeles Lakers, who the team faced in the 2020 Western Conference finals in the Orlando Bubble situation.
All that shifted the dialogue back toward the 2020 series, in which Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic voiced that it’s essentially a different Lakers team since that playoff matchup.
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“We didn’t play with this kind of Lakers [team],” Jokic said via ESPN. “So this is going to be basically a new team for us. Probably everything is new, everything is different.
“They’re playing amazing in these playoffs. Since [the trade] deadline, they’re playing really well.”
The only holdovers from that 2020 Lakers team are LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The entire supporting cast fields new players led by Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Dennis Schroder, and Rui Hachimura.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets are still led by their 1-2 punch of Jokic and Jamal Murray along with Michael Porter Jr. Beyond that, Denver holds a roster full of different veteran talent such as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Aaron Gordon, and Bruce Brown.
The Nuggets are a deep team that will present plenty of potential problems for the Lakers. Los Angeles has been led by their star power but has received strong play from their supporting cast.
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The Lakers’ reshaped roster since the trade deadline has seen them become a much more balanced team on both ends of the floor.
All that may shape up to what will be an entertaining Western Conference finals matchup.
