Nikola Jokic embraced being a point-center as early as 2017: "Passing makes two people happy"

Still early in this 2025-26 NBA season, Nikola Jokic is leading the league in assists. However, if you now think this focus on passing is new for the Denver Nuggets superstar, you'd be rather mistaken.

After all, as early as February 2017, Jokic said that he prefers setting up teammates over scoring himself – a philosophy that has clearly defined the three-time Most Valuable Player ever since.

Setting up teammates

Talking point-centers, Jokic's name is bound to come up. He has defined the role for years, orchestrating the Nuggets' offense from the post and leading them to the promised land in 2023.

It's fair to say that no center in league history has done it quite like the 30-year-old from Serbia. Jokic's 7.3 career assist average over 11 seasons — all spent with the Nuggets — tells much of the story. The eye test, filled with breathtaking highlight-reel passes, confirms it as well.

Rewinding to the early NBA years of the former second-round pick — when that quote emerged — you can already see the path taking shape that would one day allow him to dominate the game in such a remarkable way.

The numbers — with Jokic averaging just under five assists per game as a sophomore — reveal his early preference for creating opportunities for teammates, a mindset the future seven-time All-Star confirmed at the time in an interview with former Nuggets beat writer T.J. McBride.

When asked by McBride whether he preferred scoring or assisting, a then 21-year-old Jokic replied, "Passing makes two people happy," before adding, "Scoring only makes one person happy."

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Team-first approach

Jokic's response said more than just how much he enjoys creating opportunities on the hardwood. It showed that his sense of happiness comes from seeing everyone around him succeed. That kind of mindset — putting the group's well-being above personal pride — is unusual in a league that often celebrates ego, and it's exactly the quality head coaches dream of in a player.

What makes this outlook even more impressive is how early it took root. Before his name meant anything to most, a young Jokic already treated victory as a shared responsibility.

"The best players usually take the most shots. As for me, I always take what the game gives me," he stressed in 2023. "It sometimes happens that I score over 40 points, and sometimes I don't even drop 10. I like to show that scoring isn't the most important thing and that you can affect the game in different ways."

Fast forward many years and nothing about that approach seems to have faded. Despite being the team's most gifted player, the Joker continues to raise the level of those beside him, showing again that to him, basketball is less about dominance and more about being a team sport.

And though the sentiment sounds tailor-made for Jokic's playing style, the phrase itself didn't originate with him. Credit for it often goes to Magic Johnson — another pioneer whose influence still lingers over the NBA today.

In a way, Magic and Jokic are connected: just as the 6'9" Los Angeles Lakers legend became the first tall point guard to dominate the game, Jokic stands out among centers who traditionally focus on scoring and rebounding.

Both, of course, also share extraordinary playmaking skills. While Magic earned four assist titles, Jokic is on track to claim the first of his Hall of Fame career if he maintains his current momentum.

Related: Nikola Jokic offers brutal assessment of Denver Nuggets after tough loss to Sacramento Kings

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Nov 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.