Nikola Jokic breaks all the rules

Hate the 3-point boom? Watch more Nikola Jokic.

The Boston Celtics shoot a lot of 3-pointers. We know this. During last week’s Big Number, Dan Devine and I went long on just how many 3-pointers they take and all the different ways they get them.

Much of the fiery debate around the NBA’s 3-point boom fixates on the idea that every team just jacks up 3s because that’s the way to do smart offense. To some extent, that is true just in the same way that of the six MLB teams that hit over 200 home runs last season, three of them reached the ALCS/NLCS. Scoreboards dig the long ball, too.

But then you get the Denver Nuggets.

They have the sixth-best offense in the NBA. They’ve achieved that ranking this season despite having almost no Aaron Gordon and almost no good play from Jamal Murray.

But they do have Nikola Jokic.

So much of that elite offense is the product of the 7-foot Serbian’s brilliance. When he’s on the floor, the Nuggets score 126 points per 100 possessions. Best in the NBA. Even the fire-breathing Celtics don’t touch that mark with any one player on the floor.

There are many ways to score the basketball, and Boston and Denver are on polar opposites of the scoring spectrum.

I mention the Nikola Nuggets because they score the leather off the ball while taking the fewest 3-pointers per game in the sport.

Just 35.5 percent of their field goal attempts come from beyond the arc. Wanna know what happens to that rate when Jokic is on the floor?

It falls to 33.8 percent.

Here’s the crazy stat: Denver has never taken more than 40 3-point attempts this season and the Celtics have never taken fewer than 40 3-point attempts this season.

Neither team has crossed that 40 3PA threshold, but from opposite directions. I put it in a chart so you can see the oil and vinegar of it all:

Why do I bring this up?

It’s trendy to say that every team jacks up 3s, but the Denver Nuggets absolutely don’t do that, and they’re still unguardable for most of the game.

You might say, well, that’s because they have Jokic.

To that I’d say, hey, that’s basketball.

One guy can break all the rules.

That’s what makes it fun.

I leave you with 30 minutes of Jokic passes, almost none of which go to 3s.