On Wednesday, the topic of Karl-Anthony Towns’ skills versus Nikola Jokic’s impact was discussed by former NBA players Lou Williams and Chandler Parsons on “Run It Back.” Williams gave credit to the New York Knicks big man, however, he believes the three-time MVP has had more impact on the Denver Nuggets.
Although Towns and Jokic have played against each other multiple times in the Western Conference, the two centers aren’t often compared to each other. The Serbian big man has a different skill set than the Dominican-American star.
Even with that, the former NBA player discussed the difference between the two.
“Is KAT a more skilled guy? Absolutely,” Williams said. “I think Jokic is more impactful the way that he approaches the game. He doesn’t try to go out and be the best shooter. He tries to get the ball to the best shooter. He doesn’t try to be the–well, he is the best passer. But he makes sure he puts guys in a position to be successful outside of himself.”
“I think that’s what sets them apart. If we’re just talking skill, I’m buying.”
Do you agree with @TeamLou23 and @chandlerparsons? pic.twitter.com/bZNXr4qwWK
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) November 6, 2024
Individually, Nikola Jokic has accomplished more than KAT. Since entering the NBA in 2014, the Nuggets star has been an All-Star six times, a regular season MVP three times, an NBA champion and a Finals MVP. He’s also made the All-NBA teams six times (four times with the First Team and two times with the Second Team.
KAT, meanwhile, has collected awards since getting drafted in 2015. The former top pick has won Rookie of the Year, the NBA Three-Point Contest and was named an All-NBA player three times (once with the First Team and twice with the Second Team). Towns has also been an All-Star four times in his career.
According to Land of Basketball, the two big men have played against each other 35 times (23 in the regular season, 12 in the playoffs). Jokic has the advantage in their head-to-head games with a record of 20-15. The Nuggets star has won 23 games against KAT in the regular season and seven in the playoffs.
Former Nikola Jokic teammate dismissed the star’s comparison to Towns
Former teammate of Nikola Jokic, Austin Rivers, downplayed the skillset of the Nuggets star, stating that Towns is more skilled. During an episode of “OffGuard Podcast” on Saturday, Rivers gave his hot take regarding the comparison between the two players.
“He’s an average shooter… He’s not a good three-point shooter,” Rivers said. “…He can’t shoot like Karl… They’re not even in the same realm of shooting… Karl is a better scorer in almost every attribute of the game over Nikola.”
Rivers defended his take and said that his former teammate is still a better player overall than Towns.
Austin Rivers says Karl-Anthony Towns is more skilled than Nikola Jokic:
“So what does Nikola do better than him other than pass?”
(via Offguard Podcast, h/t @nikolaesthetic)pic.twitter.com/4JpMf8tTNJ
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) November 3, 2024
The Nuggets will play against the Knicks on Nov. 25, where the debate between Nikola Jokic and Karl-Anthony Towns could be settled.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
