Nikola Jokic praises NC State's DJ Burns after Elite Eight win vs Duke: 'He's amazing'

Over the past 19 days, as NC State has gone from the opening round of the ACC Tournament all the way to the Final Four in one of the most improbable NCAA Tournament runs in recent memory, Wolfpack big man DJ Burns has earned millions of admirers across the country.

One of them just happens to be the betting favorite to win his third NBA MVP in the past four years.

REQUIRED READING: NC State basketball punches Final Four ticket, ends Duke's March Madness run

Following NC State’s 76-64 victory against Duke Sunday in the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Burns earned praise from Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic, who described Burns as “amazing” during his postgame news conference after the Nuggets’ 130-101 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Denver.

“I think he’s so skilled, especially (as a) lefty,” Jokic said with a wide smile on his face. “I’d love to be lefty. It seems like teammates like to play with him. Gotta be a good guy.”

Jokic also told reporters he was late for his media availability because he was watching the end of NC State’s game. The message he delivered is notable not only because of the messenger’s stature, but his build and the way he plays.

Though Jokic has two inches and nine pounds on the 6-foot-9, 275-pound Burns, the two share some unmistakably similar traits. Both are heftier big men who don’t possess some of the same verticality of their peers on the low post, but who more than make up for it with exceptional court vision, skilled passing, a superb basketball intelligence and a soft touch around the basket.

Burns has impressed throughout the 2024 NCAA Tournament. In NC State’s four wins, he has averaged 18.3 points per game while making 31 of his 46 shots, giving him a ridiculous 67.4% shooting percentage that would make even Jokic, the 2023 NBA Finals MVP, jealous.

REQUIRED READING: DJ Burns helps fuel NC State basketball crash March Madness party again: 'Final Four Baby!'

In the victory against Duke, he saved his best for the biggest moment yet of the tournament, scoring a season-high 29 points on 13-of-19 shooting. Burns was named the most outstanding player of the tournament’s South Region. Burns’ performance also pushed the Wolfpack to its first Final Four since 1983, where it will take on Purdue Saturday.

Though Jokic respects Burns’ game and what he has done, his college basketball knowledge beyond the NC State forward is a bit limited.

“They were not supposed to make it, right?” Jokic asked, referring to NC State’s place in the NCAA Tournament.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Nikola Jokic praises DJ Burns after NC State's Elite Eight win vs Duke: 'He's amazing'