Why is Nikola Jokic the best basketball player in the world? Bill Walton will explain.

And now?

“He’s the best basketball player in the world!”

So sayeth a man who has a right to judge.

While others routinely, and you might say logically evaluate Jokic in terms of other 7-footers, Bill Walton has a different viewpoint. “He’s the closest thing to Steve Nash I’ve ever seen,” he declares.

Whoa. What gives? Jokic is 7 feet and weighs 280. Steve Nash was a 6-3 guard.

“No player I’ve seen ever impressed me more,” Walton says. “Because he never had a physical advantage in any game he ever played.”

In other words, Nash didn’t just play the game; he thought the game. And so does Jokic.

“I had the privilege of watching Pelé play soccer, Joe Montana play football, and Larry Bird play basketball,” Walton says. “These guys saw something before it happened. Mozart, Beethoven, Einstein. They saw the future. Tony Hawk revolutionized the realm of the possible in skateboarding. And Jokic sees things before they happen. His decision-making is spectacular.

“What it comes down to is that Jokic is just smarter than the other guys. That’s what makes a champion.

“Think of chess. Your move dictates the opponent’s move. And with a successful move, you make the foe helpless. That’s what Jokic does to the opposition.”

The big guy’s technical skills are obvious to one and all. He just finished a playoff run, culminating in a championship, during which he averaged 30 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists a game. He shot 63.2 percent from the floor, including a stunning 47 percent on threes.

“He’s a tremendous rebounder,” lauds Walton, whose own technique on the boards has never been matched. “Jokic has a great sense of where the ball will come off.”

Jokic can back foes down from the foul line, if necessary, and when he gets there, he knows what to do.

“That little flip shot of his is amazing,” marvels Walton.

The Jokic soft touch results in more shots gently rolling around the rim before settling in than anyone in the game.

Then there are all those 3-pointers, which are seldom his first option.

“He makes most of them up against the clock,” Walton points out.

He may look lumbering, but he is sure-handed with the ball and he is faster than he looks.

“I have never seen a center drive the ball upcourt that way he does as a regular thing,” Walton says. “And you never see anyone catch him from behind.”

You could argue that he has changed the concept of what a center can be.

“Not really,” says Walton. “Center is not a position. It’s a concept.”

In Walton’s eyes, who wouldn’t want to play with Nikola Jokic?

“His teammates gleefully give him the ball,” Walton says.

The obvious question, of course, is “OK, Bill, how would you compare yourself with Nikola Jokic?” After all, Walton has long been the gold standard for passing centers.

You might as well ask him to vote Republican.

“I don’t get into that,” he says. “I was lucky to play with some of the greatest teams in history. I was lucky to have great coaches. I was lucky to know [Lakers broadcaster] Chick Hearn. I was lucky I had teammates who could catch the ball.”

No, he’d much prefer to rhapsodize about his new favorite player.

It warms Walton’s heart to hear Jokic dismiss his triple-double exploits as “just stats.”

“I love his humility,” Walton says. “He is all about the team. No one tells him to live a life of boastfulness. He loves his teammates, his coaches, and his city. You couldn’t ask for more.”

Bill Walton says he watches Denver Nuggets games “with a gigantic smile on my face,” and he hopes young people out there appreciate what they are seeing.

“Basketball is an easy game when people play for each other,” Walton says. “You can tell that Jokic is happy for the success of others. My hope is that kids will watch Denver with their focus on team play and say, ‘Yeah. That’s what I want to do.’ ”

Thanks, Bill. Any last thoughts?

“Yes,” he booms from a continent away. “Long live Nikola Jokic!”

Bob Ryan can be reached at robert.ryan@globe.com.