Nuggets

Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla Compares Nikola Jokic to a Water Polo Player

By skynews • August 28, 2025 • 3 min read

There’s no denying that Nikola Jokic is a once-in-a-generation type of NBA player. While there’s no prior comparison one could make of him to previous players, Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla had a very interesting comparison about him.

During an episode of the Games with Names podcast, Mazzulla said Jokic’s play reminds him of a different sport outside of basketball.

“You watch water polo, you’re essentially watching Nikola Jokic,” Mazzulla said. “That’s how he plays! You can tell how he like palms the ball, how he one-touch passes it when it’s mid-air, how he almost embraces people draping on him because like you’re having to do both of those things and like, watching him is like watching a water polo player.”

The Celtics coach went on to add some extra comparisons between Jokic and his rival Joel Embiid. Both players remind Mazzulla of completely different sports.

“Yeah, so like, when I watch Jokic, I see water polo, when I watch Embiid, I see how his soccer background gave him the footwork, the angles, the hand-eye coordination, the timing to be so effective for such a big guy,” Mazzulla added.

Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokic, Phildelphia 76ers Joel Embiid

Aug 8, 2024; Paris, France; United States centre Joel Embiid (11) shoots the ball over Serbia power forward Nikola Jokic (15) during the first half in a men’s basketball semifinal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-Imagn Images / Rob Schumacher-Imagn Images

Realistically, it’s hard to expect anything more out of Nikola Jokic than what he’s already done the past few seasons. From 2020-2025, Jokic has won MVP three times or been ranked second in voting. He’s easily the best player in the NBA, and the only thing he could possibly improve on is his defense.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic

May 13, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) during the first quarter of game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Last season alone, Jokic averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists, and 1.8 steals on 58/42/80 shooting from the field. Somehow, Jokic’s numbers last season were better than anything else he’s done during his MVP seasons. During the 2024-25 NBA season, Jokic had arguably one of the greatest individual seasons of all time from a numbers standpoint.

However, when looking at the situation from a double-edged sword perspective, Jokic should not need to be doing so much for the Nuggets. One would have to imagine that Jokic has been upping his usage because of how the Nuggets keep getting thinner and thinner every season. Hopefully, after adding Bruce Brown, Jonas Valanciunas, and Cameron Johnson, Jokic can finally ease back.

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