The Denver Nuggets look like an obvious NBA Championship contender behind another spectacular season from Nikola Jokic. Many NBA pundits list Jokic as the MVP favorite, and Denver gets respect as the second title favorite behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, Jokic thinks the team is too content and needed a wakeup call.
A surprising upset on Saturday night saw the woeful Sacramento Kings defeating the Nuggets. The excuse of Denver playing on the second half of a back-to-back was not used by Jokic. In fact, the three-time MVP said the team needs to realize they aren’t that good right now and ignore their winning record.
“I think the 12-4 [record], it’s not the real picture,” Jokic shared in frustation. “I think we are not that good. [We] need to be much better if we want to do something big. Yes, we’ve played better. We look better. But I think we need to consistently, every night, every possession. Make a mistake. Don’t make a mistake.”
Nikola Jokic Leading Like A Superstar
Many former NBA greats used their own spectacular play as the measuring stick that all other teammates should be judged by. Generational talents typically contend for a title most seasons and expect their teammates to be mentally prepared for that grind every night. Jokic doesn’t care about a good record in November since the end goal is getting his second ring.
Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun both missed Saturday’s game due to injury and will be out for the next few weeks. Denver must continue winning consistently with two of their five starters missing from the lineup. Jokic’s words calling out the team likely has the goal of getting the roster ready for a tough stretch coming up.
Most NBA teams are content being a top team in the league since it implies that they’ll contend down the line at season’s end. However, Jokic knows that losing too many early games in the loaded West could hurt their seeding and negatively impact home court to warrant giving their full effort every night.
Jokic Wants More Urgency From Teammates
The biggest takeaway from Jokic’s comments is that he wants his teammates to play with urgency every night. Sacramento getting on a hot streak late saw Denver unable to keep up once they lost their energy on the latter half of the back-to-back. Jokic had another stellar game with 44 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists.
“I mean, it’s a dog fight,” Jokic said about his effort. “You’re just trying to do whatever. You want to win the game. And we had opportunity, we had chances, and then they executed. They scored some big points, and that’s why they won the game.”
The Nuggets can easily fall lower in the West standings with so many teams off to great starts. Oklahoma City remains a strong favorite, so Denver must improve at the bare minimum to have a better chance against the defending champs. Jokic is proving his MVP and leadership status by trying to get his teammates ready for a long season.
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