Expected Top-3 NBA Draft Pick Studies Nikola Jokic as Inspiration

Nikola Jokic has become the perfect big man to study.

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Nikola Jokic is the perfect example of being an undesirable late 2nd-round draft pick, to an undeniable 3x NBA MVP. A little over five years ago, no one was studying Nikola Jokic tapes, now, it's a completely different story.

In an interview with Jeremy Woo of ESPN, UConn coach Dan Hurley revealed that he's had Donovan Clingan study tapes on a young Nikola Jokic to observe Jokic's career progression. Clingan is expected to be a top draft pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, with some even picking him to go third.

"What we talked to him about was, don't get caught up in mastering the game inside and out," Hurley said. "We'd show him Nikola Jokić, from an offensive standpoint when he was younger. So that Donovan would understand that when Jokić was 19, that wasn't what he was doing right now. You're watching what he's doing right now and thinking I should be doing that right now. Well, that's not what he was doing [at that age]. If he was, well f**k, he wouldn't have been drafted in the second round."

This season at UConn, Clingan averaged 13.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks in 22.6 minutes on 64/25/58 shooting from the field. While Clingan's ability to space the floor could improve, he's still putting up impressive numbers for a 20-year-old on only 22 minutes a game. Studying Nikola Jokic is a phenomenal way to improve, but it doesn't quite seem like that's Clingan's game.

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