The Tape
Was Hakeem Olajuwon better than Nikola Jokic?
Hakeem Olajuwon, 1984-2002, against Nikola Jokic, 2015-present. The numbers levelled to one league, then the call.
Method, stated plainly: scoring is adjusted to a league averaging 114 points per team per game. Rebounds and assists are printed as they were recorded, with the league scoring rate beside them, because a rebound in 1962 came out of a different number of missed shots and we will not pretend one multiplier fixes that. Career lines for active players run through 2024-25.
What the numbers say
Adjusted to a league averaging 114 points a game, Hakeem Olajuwon is the bigger scorer: 30.7 a game in 1993-94 against 26.4 for Nikola Jokic in 2023-24. That is a real gap of 4.3 points, not an era illusion — Hakeem Olajuwon's league averaged 101.5 and Nikola Jokic's averaged 114.2.
Nikola Jokic is the passer: 9 assists a game to 3.6, and that is the difference between running an offense and finishing one.
Hakeem Olajuwon: The only player to win MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP in one season, and the all-time leader in blocks. Nikola Jokic: Three MVPs for a passing center, which is the 1977 Portland idea with a 3-point line attached.
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