Taking Jokic One-on-One

Chen Xi quickly launched his attack after calling Jokic up to guard him.

He started with two consecutive between-the-legs dribbles, searching for his ball-handling rhythm. A quick step shifted Jokic's defensive balance, then a sudden step-back hesitation forced Jokic to move his feet forward. Chen Xi immediately followed with an exaggerated front crossover, trying to drive into the paint from the left.

Jokic's body control was indeed excellent. Even after biting on the first fake, he managed to twist around and keep up, trying to turn and chase him down.

Unfortunately, that was exactly what Chen had set him up for.

Any elite defender who had guarded Chen Xi face-to-face, one-on-one, should have known that if Chen Xi got past them, they absolutely couldn't turn and chase too aggressively. They had to trust their help-side teammates, trail behind him, and wait for a chance to block his shot.

Because if they sped up to catch him...

Chen Xi suddenly stopped and pulled the ball back, then paused for a moment, giving Jokic time to react before immediately following with another front crossover.

The first sudden stop had already left Jokic completely out of position due to his momentum. But his focus on defense still had him trying to control his body and turn to contest Chen Xi's mid-range shot. As a result, Jokic was completely unable to keep up.

Chen Xi's second crossover pinned him firmly in place. All Jokic could do was watch as Chen Xi drove to the basket, leaped into the air, and easily evaded Gordon's attempted block with a small double-clutch before finishing the play.

Mismatch Expert, First Step Master, Ankle Breaker, Dribbling Veteran, Lob Shot Master.

A whole host of badges had activated during that attack. The flashes of gold and silver nearly seemed to