Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic dazzled in the first round against the San Antonio Spurs and continued to do so in Monday's series-opening win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The 7-foot center's vision and foresight during the playoffs are reminding teammate Paul Millsap of one of football's all-time greats.
"He's like a quarterback out there. I consider him like a Tom Brady," Millsap said, according to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "He's always going to pick you apart and make the right reads. Commend him for doing that at this stage in his career. It's unbelievable."
Jokic poured in 37 points, nine boards, six assists, three steals, and two blocks in another all-around postseason performance. Overall, the 24-year-old hasn't shown a lot of nerves in his first NBA playoffs, as he nearly averaged a triple-double with 23.1 points, 12.1 boards, and 9.1 assists per contest in the first round against the Spurs. Jokic became the fourth player in league history to have a triple-double in their first playoff game and the first to accomplish the same feat in a Game 7 since LeBron James in the 2016 Finals.
The Serbian big man has been virtually unstoppable thus far in the postseason and appears confident he can continue his strong play against the Trail Blazers.
"I think I can read everything," Jokic said. "So I just need to know what they're going to do. I think San Antonio was playing one way, Portland is playing one way, it's completely different games. But I think I am capable of reading those defenses."
Denver and Portland return to action Wednesday for Game 2 at the Pepsi Center.
