In the wake of my story last month looking at how Nikola Jokic slipped to the second round before developing into a two-time MVP, in part because of his highlight-reel ability as a distributor, a reader wondered how big a factor Jokic's passing was in that equation.
As good as Jokic is as a shot-maker and rebounder, it's his court vision that truly separates him as a star. Jokic came within 0.2 assists per game of averaging a triple-double in the regular season before narrowly missing in the playoffs as well. Jokic isn't the only top passer from the frontcourt taken in the second round, as Draymond Green fits that criteria as well. Let's dig deeper into whether this is a trend or if Green and Jokic are simply outliers.
Throughout the NBA season, I answer your questions about the latest, most interesting topics in basketball. You can tweet me directly at @kpelton, tweet your questions using the hashtag #peltonmailbag or email them to peltonmailbag@gmail.com.
In addition to the main question, this week's mailbag also answers your questions on the most difficult teams for NBA Immaculate Grid and the career-altering injury that affected the most championships.
"Is part of the [Jokic] story maybe that elite passing is a skill that is either harder to judge or is maybe just less valuable at lower levels of play, whereas at the NBA level it's one of the most valuable offensive skills a player can have?"
-- @zgeballe