Nikola Jokic is one of the most dominant players in the NBA, if not the most dominant, for a reason. 

Not only does he bring a massive amount of physicality and size to the center position, his diverse skillset and multifaceted abilities to make plays ensures that no matter how he's defended or what he's up against, he can change the game. 

A natural consequence of those skills and the threat that he poses means that there's no one more targeted on the court by opposing defenses, forcing Jokic to step out of his usual bag at times. 

That's especially been the case in recent games where Jokic has faced double and triple teams from the opposition, but at least in the Denver Nuggets' Monday win over the Utah Jazz, even slowing Jokic down on the scoring side of things does little to stop how he affects the game as a whole. 

Jokic may have only had 22 points in the game and taken just 11 total shots, but his rebounding and assist numbers were what made him truly game-changing. He had a game-leading 12 rebounds as well as five assists on Monday night and despite the physical pressure that he was up against, Jokic stayed calm, cool and collected.

"I was trying not to force it and trying to play the game and I think it was okay," Jokic said (via Nuggets). "We did a good job passing, scoring."

A side effect of the pressure that Jokic attracts means that it can free up other players on the roster to have explosive nights of their own, which was the case for Jamal Murray in the win with a game-high 45 points to boost the Nuggets to victory in a very tight game. 

What has made Jokic truly so transformative for the center position is his versatility. He's a true "point center" who can do just as much with his assists as he can by scoring in the paint. Even if he's drawing all of the defensive attention like he was on Monday, he can still create great looks for his teammates. 

There isn't really much of a strategy that can be devised to slow down Jokic beyond what the Jazz already tried, which is throwing as many bodies on him as possible, but even that might not be enough at times, even if it does accomplish the task of wearing him out. 

That's where his mentality comes in.

Jokic's awareness of the situation and his understanding that he doesn't have to brute force his way through defensive formations is just as much a part of his dominance as his actual skills have been and when the skills and mentality combine, it's easy to see why he stands out as one of the league's best.