The Nuggets have started the season with a record of 20 wins and 14 losses, currently ranking fourth in the West. After Jokic's absence due to family matters and injuries to Murray and Gordon, as well as Westbrook's compatibility and integration, it's impressive that the Nuggets have managed to achieve this record. It's clear that Jokic is the backbone of the Nuggets. Without him maintaining the team's foundation during this period and giving Westbrook time to integrate, I doubt the Nuggets would be at their current level. Now that the Nuggets have successfully integrated and are ready to continue their upward push, Jokic deserves much of the credit.
Looking at the NBA's official announcement of the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week for Week 11, Jokic averaged 36.5 points, 16.5 rebounds, and 11.3 assists last week, leading the team to a 3-1 record. In terms of compatibility, Jokic may be the best teammate Westbrook has ever had. Comparing Jokic to other players Westbrook has partnered with, such as Durant, Harden, James, Beal, George, Leonard, and Anthony, it's clear that Jokic is the most suitable for Westbrook.
Jokic is the only supergiant center that Westbrook has encountered, and his character is very inclusive. He is willing to make sacrifices for any teammate, which means that if you don't fit with Jokic, you should look for your own reasons. Moreover, before joining the Nuggets, Westbrook had a poor reputation and was almost at the level of retirement. However, this season, when Westbrook and Jokic start together, it's surprising to find that someone can actually achieve a greater-than-1+1 effect with Westbrook.
This may be something that those American media who were not optimistic about Westbrook joining the Nuggets still cannot understand. When Westbrook and Jokic play together, the Nuggets have an extremely high win rate, with a record of 10 wins and 3 losses in the 13 games where Westbrook started, resulting in a win rate of 76.92%. When Jokic and Westbrook are on the court together, Jokic will even proactively come up to act as a blue-collar player for Westbrook, going down to catch lobs. Westbrook also makes changes for Jokic, focusing on defense and tearing apart the opponent's defense when they both play.
American media STATMUSE believes that Jokic has proven a fact: teammates who work with him see their stats improve. In other words, it's not that Murray is strong, but that Jokic around him raises Murray's lower limit. Even Westbrook couldn't help but thank Jokic. Tomorrow, the Nuggets will face the Celtics, and Westbrook mentioned today his cooperation with Jokic, believing that they can surprise the Celtics.
Westbrook said, "Joining the Nuggets is the most correct thing in my career. As I said during the offseason, here I can return to being myself. Jokic is the most special teammate I've ever met; he's not a player who likes to speak loudly. He tells you what to do with his actions. So both Jokic and I understand what we need to do. Of course, we still communicate frequently. Sometimes we communicate without speaking. This is great because you know, I can see what he sees, and he can see what I see. We have the same thoughts and are in tune with each other."
Over the years, Westbrook is indeed most satisfied with the Nuggets and Jokic. Westbrook doesn't fit well with ball-dominant cores, but Jokic, who appears to be a ball-dominant core, can actually cooperate with Westbrook. This may also be the reason why Jokic dared to go against public opinion during the offseason to convince the Nuggets' management to sign Westbrook. Jokic has confidence in himself and also in Westbrook. While others may think Westbrook isn't good enough, in Jokic's eyes, Westbrook can fill the roles of LeBron and Pope, and for a salary of $3 million, what more could you ask for?