Jason Williams made his case for Nikola Jokic as still the best player in the NBA.
The debate of who is better between Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the two most premier players in the NBA today and the winners of five of the last six MVP awards, is an aspect of NBA discourse that could go on for hours and is one of the most dominating questions in the NBA today.
They may play fundamentally different positions and do so in fundamentally different ways, with Alexander being an efficient guard with above average defense for his position while Jokic is an offensive anchor at center that boasts near-unprecedented playmaking abilities for his size, both have been dominant in the league and led their teams to a lot of success.
Gilgeous-Alexander has the benefit of more recent team success with the Thunder winning the Finals in 2025 and reaching the Conference Finals last season, while the Nuggets won a championship in 2023 and haven't been able to replicate those heights since.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) passes the ball under pressure from Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) in the fourth quarter during game six of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn ImagesWilliams Weighs In
Still, putting team success aside, comparing Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander based on their individual merits is a close conversation, one that former NBA player Jason Williams recently weighed in on during an episode of the "Hooping and Hollering" podcast, and it's safe to say that Williams is firmly in the Jokic camp.
“Joker [Jokic] has so much more to offer at the game of basketball than Shai," Williams said (via NBA Courtside). "It’s kind of like the Jordan and LeBron situation. You argue about it, da da da, but at the end of the day you say Jordan won. Shai gets it done... If Shai goes a whole week without scoring 15, he’s upset about it... even if they’re winning. Joker does the same thing. He is just as happy as if he scores 50.”
Denver Nuggets center NikolaJokic(15) goes up for a basket between Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) and guardShaiGilgeous-Alexander (2) during the first quarter of game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Alonzo Adams-Imagn ImagesThe crux of Williams' argument is that Jokic is less focused on individual stats compared to Gilgeous-Alexander, which is a subjective observation of course, but the more interesting observation that Williams made was that Jokic can "offer more" than Gilgeous-Alexander can, which is an observation that cuts to the core of their two play styles.
Why Jokic Comes Out On Top To Williams
A big reason as to why Jokic has become such a triple-double machine in his career is because of the playmaking that he offers at the center position on top of his scoring and rebounding abilities.
Oklahoma City Thunder guardShaiGilgeous-Alexander (2) defends on Denver Nuggets center NikolaJokic(15) in the second half during game three of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesIt's a skill package that has rarely, if ever, been seen in the NBA by a center that operate at Jokic's level and it's that uniqueness and the level at which he's able to perform that has made him so effective and even if his defense leaves something to be desired, especially at a defensively crucial position, his offense makes up for it.
In Williams' eyes, that unique skill package ends up being more productive than what Gilgeous-Alexander can do as a guard, no matter how high of a level at which he's playing, and it's that level of multi-faceted of offensive skills that has made Jokic such a historically dominant player.
