Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets has given uncommon praise to one of his on-court adversaries, Dallas player Luka Doncic, ahead of his sixth All-Star appearance.

Both players are having excellent seasons, with Jokic averaging 24.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 10.1 assists on 63.2 percent shooting from the field and Doncic averaging 33.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 8.1 assists on 50.5% shooting.

Jokic is aiming for his third consecutive league MVP. The only other players to do this in NBA history are Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bill Russell, but the big center does not want you to underestimate Doncic.

“He’s a one-man army,” Jokic explained. “He is the one who can destroy you. Who has the ability to effectively manipulate the game. There is no suitable match for him. If he has a smaller guy, he’ll put him up. If he sees a bigger guy, he’ll pass him by. He takes a lethal step-back. He is a one-of-a-kind player who also happens to be a great person.”

Jokic went on to praise Doncic’s basketball intelligence, which is significant coming from a player whose own skill and IQ are the reason he is so brilliant. Furthermore, he believes Doncic is a fantastic person in general.

“He has an extremely high basketball IQ. He has a great view and sees the floor from a new perspective. In terms of basketball, he is an extremely distinctive player. In person, he’s a pretty nice guy. “Like a guy you could hang out with.”

The Nuggets are the Western Conference favorites and have recently looked very sharp, but if they do not make the Finals, Jokic says he would love for Doncic to win it all.

“If we don’t make it, Luka, of course,” Jokic remarked. “He is a really good friend of mine. That’s about it.