Chapter 303: Doesn’t Look Like One.Joki? scored the first points for the Cavs, and on the next possession, Aldridge posted up TT on the low block.

    Popovich was using Aldridge as if he were prime Tim Duncan.

    And Aldridge lived up to that expectation — catching the ball, turning for his signature fadeaway, and sinking the shot with ease.

    Back on offense, Kyrie waved his hand to call a play, signaling for Joki? to get a post-up opportunity.

    It was a rare ''reward'' for the rookie.

    Joki? quickly established position, backing down Duncan.

    The crowd at Quicken Loans Arena roared in approval.

    They''d just seen Nikola score on Duncan one-on-one. Now he was demanding the ball again with confidence.

    It was hard to believe this guy was a rookie.

    Popovich, standing near the sideline, made a gesture to his players: No help defense.

    If Duncan couldn''t stop a rookie by himself, he might as well retire on the spot.

    "This isn''t a good matchup," Kenny Smith said from the TNT booth, playing the voice of reason.

    And Kenny was right.

    Joki? couldn''t move Duncan in the post.

    Duncan might have lost a step, but his height, wingspan, and defensive instincts remained elite in static, one-on-one situations.

    Joki? tried to shake Duncan with some shoulder fakes, but when he forced a shot, Duncan swatted it away with ease.

    That was two blocks on Joki? in the opening minutes — Kawhi had stuffed him earlier. It was clear Nikola still had a lot to learn against top-tier defenders.

    But what happened next stunned everyone.

    Instead of retreating or showing frustration, Joki? calmly stretched out his arm, snatched the blocked ball out of the air, spun around, and launched a hook shot.

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    The crowd erupted, and the TNT crew fell silent.

    Kenny Smith, who had just doubted Nikola, was left speechless.

    Even Duncan''s eyes widened in surprise.

    It wasn''t the hook shot that impressed Tim — it was the kid''s mentality.

    Most players would be rattled after getting blocked twice in a row.

    Not Joki?.

    He played as if nothing had happened.

    If Joki? weren''t on the opposing team, Duncan might''ve considered mentoring him.

    Han clapped Joki?''s hand on the way back to defense.

    Off the court, Nikola seemed like an ordinary guy — someone who hated early mornings, doubted himself, and didn''t care much about others'' opinions.

    But once the game started?

    He was all business.

    The contrast between the laid-back off-court Joki? and the hyper-focused on-court Joki? was so stark that it felt like two different people.

    The Spurs went back to Aldridge on the next possession.

    This time, Tucker slid over to help, but it didn''t matter. Aldridge spun baseline and hit another fadeaway jumper.

    Aldridge wasn''t the most athletic player, but his 7''5" (2.26m) wingspan gave him a massive advantage. With that reach, his fadeaway was nearly unstoppable — a move as deadly as Dirk Nowitzki''s one-legged fade.

    Two years ago, he had torched Houston''s defense with that exact move in the playoffs.

    TT was tough, but against Aldridge''s finesse game? He struggled to contest effectively.

    Han responded with a mid-range pull-up jumper, getting his first field goal of the night.

    On the next Spurs possession, Malone made a key adjustment.

    TT switched onto Duncan.

    Joki? took Aldridge.

    To the casual fan, this seemed like a risky move. TT was a better defender than Joki?, after all.

    But Malone knew better.

    TT''s strength lay in low-post battles and switch-heavy defense. But against a finesse player like Aldridge? His lack of height and length was a disadvantage.

    Joki?, despite his slower foot speed, had the size and wingspan to bother Aldridge''s shot.

    The adjustment paid off immediately.

    Aldridge went to his patented post move, but Joki? anticipated the spin and used his long arms to contest the shot.

    The ball clanged off the rim.

    Joki? quickly turned, boxed out Duncan, and snagged the defensive rebound.

    Even Han was impressed.

    People often overlooked Nikola''s rebounding ability, focusing more on his passing and scoring. But the truth was, Joki?''s instincts for positioning and timing were elite.

    It wasn''t raw athleticism that made him a great rebounder.

    It was his brain.

    And he wasted no time putting that brain to work.

    Holding the ball high to avoid any strips, Joki? scanned the court like a quarterback, spotting Kyrie streaking down the floor.

    Without hesitation, he launched a perfect full-court pass.

    Right on target.

    Kyrie didn''t need to slow down or adjust. He took two strides and finished with a flying layup.

    "I like this kid!" Shaq boomed from the broadcast booth.

    "He''s got post moves, he can defend, and now he''s throwing dimes like a damn quarterback! That''s not a rookie — that''s a future star."

    Barkley nodded. "Shaq''s right. It''s hard to find a big man with this kind of vision. We''re witnessing something special."

    Popovich stood on the sideline, frowning deeply.

    His game plan had revolved around stopping Han and Kyrie.

    He hadn''t anticipated Joki? making such an impact.

    He''d seen plenty of European big men over the years — some good, some soft, some overhyped.

    But Nikola?

    He wasn''t like the others.

    Something about him felt... different.

    Fortunately, Parker quickly calmed Popovich''s nerves with his classic pick-and-roll with Aldridge.

    With Aldridge''s deadly mid-range game, the Cavs were forced to switch defenders.

    Joki? got stuck guarding Parker on the perimeter, and his lack of lateral quickness was immediately exposed. Parker blew past him for an easy layup.

    Back on offense, Kyrie ran another pick-and-roll with Joki?. This time, Nikola popped out to the perimeter after the screen.

    The Spurs switched defenders.

    Unlike Walton''s Warriors, Pop wasn''t clueless about Joki?''s skill set. He wasn''t about to let Nikola roam free beyond the arc.

    Kyrie took advantage of the switch, driving at Duncan and hitting a floater over the big man.

    It was a smart read — pass when necessary, attack when possible. Kyrie''s growth was visible.

    6-8.

    The score wasn''t much different from last season''s games, but the Cavs'' offense clearly was.

    Last year, the Spurs knew how to handle the Cavs: shut down Han and keep Kyrie from exploding.

    But now?

    There were too many threats to handle.

    And Han hadn''t even started cooking yet.

    On defense, Malone adjusted again, switching Joki? back to Duncan.

    Parker wasn''t done targeting Nikola, though. He called for another pick-and-roll with Duncan, hoping to exploit the rookie.

    This time, the Cavs collapsed in the paint.

    Duncan received Parker''s pass at the elbow, lined up his signature bank shot — and missed.

    Joki? had closed out on him, providing just enough of a contest to throw Duncan off.

    Two years ago, Duncan would''ve sunk that shot effortlessly.

    But this wasn''t the same Duncan.

    With Aldridge now the focal point of the offense, Duncan''s role had diminished. His touches were at a career low, and for the first time, his scoring average had dipped below double digits.

    Age was catching up to him.

    Still, his basketball IQ remained sharp.

    Seeing Joki? grab the rebound and prepare for a quick outlet pass, Duncan immediately fouled him to stop the fast break.

    The Cavs reset in the half-court.

    Han called for another pick-and-roll with Joki?.

    Nikola''s screens weren''t perfect, but his offensive versatility had already pushed him above TT in Malone''s pick-and-roll hierarchy.

    The Spurs couldn''t afford to switch on Han, so they tried to fight through the screen.

    Duncan stepped up to briefly contest Han, buying time for Green to recover.

    But this opened up space for the screener.

    This time, Joki? rolled hard to the basket instead of popping out.

    Han spotted the opportunity, threading a bounce pass behind Duncan''s back.

    Aldridge rotated over to help, but his defensive instincts weren''t great.

    Joki? took a long stride and threw down another two-handed slam.

    Quicken Loans Arena exploded.

    6-10.

    Pop called a timeout.

    Han walked to the bench with a satisfied grin.

    He had only scored 2 points so far, but the Cavs already had a clear advantage.

    Last season, they couldn''t dream of controlling a game without Han doing the heavy lifting. Now, they were thriving with a balanced attack.

    Even more surprising?

    Joki? had 6 of those 10 points.

    Despite being blocked twice early, the rookie''s composure had allowed him to bounce back.

    It looked like tonight might be Joki?''s breakout game.

    ---

    After the timeout, Popovich made a surprising substitution.

    He pulled Duncan and sent in Boban Marjanovi? — the 7''4" (2.24m) Serbian giant the Spurs had signed in the offseason.

    Boban wasn''t just huge; his hands were so massive that the basketball looked like a toy in his grip.

    Pop had a clear plan: use Boban''s size to neutralize Joki?.

    And there was an added psychological factor.

    Both players were from Serbia.

    Though they hadn''t been national teammates, Boban was the senior player — someone Nikola had grown up watching.

    Would Joki? feel the pressure?

    Boban made an immediate impact.

    His lack of speed was glaring, but his size created problems.

    On one possession, he set a massive screen on Kyrie, pinning him completely. Parker used the screen to drive past Joki? and draw Tucker''s help, kicking the ball out to Kawhi for a mid-range jumper.

    Parker''s high basketball IQ was on full display. He was targeting Joki? every chance he got, hoping to force the rookie into mistakes.

    But the Cavs weren''t about to let the Spurs dictate the game.

    Kyrie ran another pick-and-roll with Joki?.

    This time, Han drifted to the weak side, catching the Spurs'' defense off guard.

    Kyrie drove inside, drawing the defense in, then kicked the ball out to Han.

    Han attacked the collapsing defense, forcing the Spurs to adjust again.

    Then came the pass.

    Without even looking, Han whipped a cross-court pass to Joki? on the strong-side corner.

    Nikola had smartly popped out to create space. Boban, stuck in the paint, didn''t have the speed to close out.

    The ball reached Joki? before the defense could react.

    Without hesitation, Joki? rose up for a three.

    Swish.

    The crowd went wild.

    The arena''s LED screens lit up with Nikola''s stats: 6-for-4 shooting, 9 points in the first quarter.

    Kenny Smith couldn''t help but laugh. "Man, I think Shaq was onto something earlier. Joker is pulling out all kinds of tricks tonight."

    Shaq leaned back, grinning like a proud father. "See? I told you. He''s Joker! Every pass, every move — it''s like he''s got a trick up his sleeve every time."

    Barkley nodded slowly, clearly impressed. "I''ll admit, I didn''t expect this from him. He''s playing like a veteran out there. Not many rookies would try that spin move on Boban, let alone finish through contact."

    Shaq chuckled. "He''s not just finishing — he''s putting on a show. And the best part? He ain''t even sweating it."

    Kenny added, "It''s crazy. He''s got that laid-back vibe, but on the court? He''s a killer."

    Barkley grinned. "Yeah, well, Pop''s gotta be thinking the same thing right now: How the hell did the Cavs land this kid?"

    On the sideline, Popovich remained silent, his mind racing.

    Parker went at Joki? again, drawing a foul this time.

    As Nikola walked to the bench, Garnett pulled him aside, offering some quick defensive tips.

    Parker sank both free throws, keeping the Spurs within reach.

    Back on offense, Han called for Joki? again.

    This time, after setting the screen, Nikola rolled to the rim.

    Boban sagged into the paint, raising his massive arms to contest.

    Joki? caught the pass, took one dribble, spun, and launched a floating layup through contact.

    The whistle blew — and-one.

    The ball bounced off the back rim, hung in the air, and dropped through the net.

    Joki? nodded, expressionless, as if it were no big deal.

    But the crowd?

    They were losing it.

    TT chest-bumped Joki?, shouting in excitement.

    Tonight, the world was going to learn exactly who wore #15 for the Cavs.