Nikola Jokic

Nuggets Notes: Gordon, Jokic, Starters, Physicality, Westbrook

May 8th, 2025 at 1:53pm CST by Rory Maher

Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic fouled out in the third quarter for the first time in his career during Wednesday’s Game 2 in Oklahoma City. Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon is frustrated by the way Jokic is being officiated, writes Troy Renck of The Denver Post.

“They are calling the second foul almost all of the time. They are fouling Joker first,” Gordon said. “You know Jok is reactionary and they do get the second guy a lot of the times. But they are fouling him throughout the game — point blank. Period. And it’s a thing you can’t call every foul because you would be calling a foul every single play. But they are fouling him. They are a handsy team.”

As Renck notes, no one on the Nuggets blamed the officials for Wednesday’s lopsided defeat. But Jokic has now accumulated 11 fouls in two games against a physical Thunder team, and that will be an important trend to monitor for the remainder of the second-round series.

“You can (help him), but if they are going to let them push him and shove him, like two hands on him, root him out, (use) the knee, elbows, all types of stuff that they are doing to him that is not necessarily legal, then, there’s not much you can do,” Gordon said. “Jok has gotta play through it. If they are not going to call it, they are not calling it. We can help hit them. But they are fouling the guy.”

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

Denver was thoroughly dismantled on Wednesday and trailed by 31 points at halftime. After the game, interim head coach David Adelman explained why he played the starters in the third quarter with the contest seemingly out of reach. “I felt like we needed to find a rhythm, a physicality,” Adelman said, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “I think that (Oklahoma City) thought that we were trying to junk up the game, which we weren’t. We were just trying to play much harder than we did in the first half. Obviously, when (Jokic) fouled out, (we) got them all out with about a minute left (in the third quarter). They got to sit the whole (fourth) quarter. They get to sit tomorrow. All day Friday. And get ready for Friday night. So no, I was not just gonna sit the guys at halftime. That’s not what we’re doing here.”
In order for the Nuggets to rebound from Wednesday’s humiliating defeat and take a 2-1 lead in Friday’s Game 3, they will have to match the Thunder’s physicality, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. “We got punked,” Adelman said. “And we allowed ourselves to get punked. We didn’t play well enough at any point, and we have to realize that this is a team that can separate from other teams. There’s a reason this team has a historic plus/minus. We need a better start than that. We need to be better than that. We can say the series is tied 1-1, but we aren’t going to flush that. That’s not what this game was. We’ll have to look at what they did and how we responded, and I would expect a much better effort than that on Friday night.” Renck of The Denver Post also believes the Nuggets need to play more forcefully against the top-seeded Thunder.
Russell Westbrook‘s game is polarizing, but the Nuggets “would be a mess” without him in these playoffs, Renck contends. Westbrook, who assisted Gordon’s game-winning three in the series opener, is averaging 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steal on .451/.375/.719 shooting through eight postseason games (25.6 minutes per contest).

Northwest Notes: Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander, Gobert, Bradds

May 5th, 2025 at 7:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets–Thunder second-round series features a clash between the top two contenders for the Most Valuable Player award, Denver big man Nikola Jokic and Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But it would be a stretch to call it a showdown, according to Jokic, since they play different positions.

“He’s a very different player,” Jokic said, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. “He’s playing on so many levels, speed, as a scorer. Everything looks so easy for him. Even when you are like, ‘Oh, that’s a good defense.’ It feels so easy for him and he’s amazing with a change of speed, change of rhythm, ball-handling. He can post up guys, he can go by guys, his shooting at the mid-range is unguardable basically. He’s a very special player.”

OKC coach Mark Daigneault feels neither player will care to make an individual point in the series.

“I know Shai a lot better than I know Jokic,” Daigneault said. “But I think I know enough to know that neither one of them are going to get distracted by that. Both of them are going to be fully invested in the series. It’s a supplement to the series. But it’s really, it’s not part of the series at all.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

It’s important for SGA to be well-liked by his teammates and peers beyond just being a superstar player, Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman writes. “He wants to be one of the greats,” Daigneault said. “He also wants to be one of the guys.”
Minnesota center Rudy Gobert posted 27 points and 24 rebounds against the Lakers in the deciding Game 5 of the series. The Timberwolves big man became the first player with at least 25 points and 20 boards in a series-clinching win on the road since Shaquille O’Neal achieved that for the Heat against the Bulls in 2006, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic relays. “That’s the Rudy that can win you championships,” guard Mike Conley said. “When you have that type of mentality to go get every rebound, go get every block, defend every guy at the rim, we needed that. He came at the biggest moment of our season.”
Will Hardy received a contract extension on Monday but the Jazz will need to replace at least one of his assistants. Assistant coach Evan Bradds has left the organization to join Duke’s staff, according to the school’s basketball social media account (Twitter link).

Nuggets Notes: Coaching & GM Change, Westbrook, Braun, Adelman

May 4th, 2025 at 8:48am CST by Arthur Hill

The Nuggets were headed in the wrong direction when they made the controversial decision to fire head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth with three games remaining in the regular season, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. They had just lost four in a row and were in danger of dropping into the play-in tournament. Now they’re headed to the second round of the playoffs after destroying the Clippers in Saturday’s Game 7, and Nikola Jokic believes the changes paved the way for playoff success.

“I think the owner … wanted to change something, to change the energy, and probably he did,” Jokic said. “He got the result he was looking for.”

Malone and Booth had a contentious relationship for years and were locked in an ongoing battle of basketball philosophies. Malone preferred to rely on experienced players who had earned his trust, while Booth wanted him to give more minutes to the young talent he drafted and signed. Numerous reports stated that their bickering brought a negative energy to the organization, and they were both likely to be let go after the season ended.

“If we don’t make the changes, there’s no way we’re even in a Game 7,” one Nuggets executive told Shelburne.

There’s more from Denver:

Saturday’s victory was satisfying for former Clipper Russell Westbrook, who contributed 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals in 27 minutes, Shelburne adds. As they did throughout the series, L.A.’s defenders backed far off Westbrook and dared him to shoot from the outside. He promised after Game 1 to discuss the strategy when the Nuggets “took care of business,” and Saturday night he did. “I think they believed that that was their best bet of stopping me or taking me out of this series,” Westbrook said. “But one thing that nobody knows is that I work my ass off. So regardless of what anybody does, I’m always prepared and I’ll be prepared for anything because I prepare myself for everything. And like I said, after Game 1, if they continue doing it, I’m going to make ’em pay. I don’t know what I shot for the series.” When informed that he made 42% of his three-pointers, he smiled and said, “Damn, that’s solid. I guess it didn’t work out so well for them.”
Christian Braun got a chance to erase the bad memories of last year’s Game 7 loss to Minnesota, notes Luca Evans of The Denver Post. Braun was limited to five points in 19:46 as the Nuggets were eliminated in 2024, but he was crucial to this year’s victory. He played tight defense on James Harden throughout the series, and kept the Nuggets from falling too far behind by scoring nine of their 21 first-quarter points on Saturday. “I wanted to be more,” Braun said, referencing the loss to the Wolves. “And everybody wants to play more. But I just thought that in that game, I felt like I was playing well and wanted to play more minutes. And everybody wants that, everybody in the league wants that, and I got that. That’s exactly what I wanted, and those guys trusted me — they have all year — but they trusted me in that moment. So, this is the exact moment I was looking for.”
The Nuggets should remove head coach David Adelman’s interim tag as soon as their playoff run ends, contends Troy Renck of The Denver Post. Renck states that ownership is leaning toward giving Adelman the job on a permanent basis, and he proved he’s worthy with his performance in the first-round series.

Nuggets Notes: Adelman, Jokic, Porter, Westbrook, Murray

May 3rd, 2025 at 6:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

Nuggets interim head coach David Adelman wasn’t happy with the officiating in Thursday’s Game 6 loss to the Clippers, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Adelman told reporters that the referees allowed L.A. to be too physical in defending star center Nikola Jokic, who played nearly 42 minutes but attempted just two free throws.

“Nikola gets fouled a lot,” Adelman said. “I’m not sure what was happening tonight, but for him to shoot two free throws with the amount of contact that was going on out there was absolutely crazy.”

The Clippers packed the lane against Denver in the 111-105 victory, which set up today’s series-deciding Game 7. Jokic shot just 2-of-9 in the second half, and Durando notes that he repeatedly passed up open three-pointers to drive into a crowd of defenders, even after the officials made it clear that he wouldn’t be rewarded with a foul call.

Adelman used his post-game media session to start working the refs for Game 7.

“(The Clippers) put smalls on him. Those smalls were allowed to do whatever they want,” he said. “So I’m really excited for Saturday, that we’re gonna be able to do the same thing with their best players. Because if that’s the physicality we’re allowed to play with, we’ll react to it, and we will go there in Game 7.”

There’s more from Denver:

Jokic believes credit for his poor shooting night should go to Clippers center Ivica Zubac, who blocked three shots in Game 6, Durando adds. “He was making me kind of question my shots,” Jokic said. “He was always there. He was really good defensively. … He was moving his feet really good.”
It’s better for the Nuggets if Adelman feels confident closing today’s game with Michael Porter Jr. instead of Russell Westbrook, Durando states in a separate story. Porter has been up and down throughout the series, with Durando pointing out that he was plus-34 in Game 5 and minus-24 in Game 6. Durando adds that Westbrook has been outstanding overall, but he has a history of making crucial mistakes, including a missed layup late in Thursday’s game.
Denver didn’t react well when Clippers coach Tyronn Lue replaced Kris Dunn with Nicolas Batum for the start of the second half Thursday, per Tony Jones of The Athletic. Jamal Murray admits that having an extra shooter on the court disrupted the Nuggets’ defense. “I thought we were unorganized,” he said. “I think that’s the best way to put it. It was frustrating. Some of the turnovers were bad and they hurt us tonight. But I thought they played with a lot more desperation than we did. They came out and played with their backs against the wall. I thought the game came down to a lot of those 50-50 possessions. On Saturday, those are the possessions that we are going to have to take away.”

Northwest Notes: Porter, Westbrook, Nuggets, Wolves, Thunder

May 1st, 2025 at 8:45pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Nuggets starting forward Michael Porter Jr. and sixth man guard Russell Westbrook have both been removed from the club’s injury report ahead of a critical Game 6 encounter with the Clippers on Thursday night, the team announced (Twitter link).

Westbrook, 36, missed most of Game 3 and all of Game 4 due to a foot injury, while Porter sprained his left shoulder in Game 2, and has been playing through the ailment. L.A., meanwhile is fully healthy.

In the four games he has played, Westbrook has averaged 13.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.8 steals per night off the bench against his former team.

Porter has struggled with consistency in this series, even prior to the shoulder injury. The 26-year-old is averaging 11.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 1.0 APG through his first five outings.

Thanks in large part to terrific play from three-time MVP center Nikola Jokic, guard Jamal Murray — and solid contributions from forward Aaron Gordon and wing Christian Braun — Denver currently boasts a 3-2 advantage over L.A.

There’s more out of the Northwest Division:

The two best Serbian players currently in the NBA, All-Star Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and reserve Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, are playing each other for the first in the postseason during this Denver-L.A. series. Although they’re friendly now, that wasn’t always the case, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post details. “We played in preparation games twice, and we played in-season twice. I didn’t like him,” Bogdanovic said with a laugh. “Because he was goofy, and he wasn’t hitting shots. He was just passing. … He could have scored one-on-one and everything. He was toying with (the game). That’s a good word. He was like toying, joking with it.”
Oft-maligned Timberwolves frontcourt stars Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle were singled out by head coach Chris Finch for their contributions in the team’s first-round series win over the Lakers. Finch asserted that Gobert, who finished with a 27-point, 24-rebound double-double in Game 5, deserves more credit for his talent, according to Kris Rhim of ESPN. “Rudy’s a winner at the highest level,” the Wolves’ coach said. “You can not like who he is, how he does it, what he looks like, et cetera. When you have this guy on your team, you understand what a professional and a winner is.” Finch also believes that Randle has been given a bad rap relative to his ability. “I’d also just like to say that Julius Randle was absolutely huge in this series,” he said of the forward (Twitter video link via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype). “Another guy who’s had a lot of unfair criticism in his career. We don’t win this series without Julius.”
Thanks to a brisk four-game sweep of Memphis in the first round, the West’s top-seeded Thunder will enjoy an eight- or nine-day break before their second-round series begins and they plan to make the most of the time off, observes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. “We always say, ‘The times in between the games are the days that you have to win in the playoffs,’” All-NBA guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said of the extensive layoff. Oklahoma City will face the winner of the ongoing matchup between the Nuggets and Clippers in the semis. “It’s good, obviously, physically, to rejuvenate,” head coach Mark Daigneault said. “Guys, I’m sure, are dealing with things here and there to get healthy, and it allows ample prep time. I thought we handled it really well, coming out of the regular season, getting ourselves ready to play at the start of (the Memphis) series. We’re going to need to replicate that this week as we wait for that other series to finish.”

Nuggets Notes: Murray, Westbrook, Jokic, Braun

April 30th, 2025 at 10:11am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets signed Jamal Murray to a four-year, maximum-salary extension before the season. Murray’s offensive outburst on Tuesday showed why Denver felt compelled to make that move, despite the guard’s health issues — his 67 regular-season games were the most he’s played since the 2018/19 season. Murray poured in 43 points as Denver took a 3-2 lead in its series against the Clippers.

“Some of the shots he made tonight were absolutely ridiculous,” Denver interim coach David Adelman said, per Tony Jones of The Athletic. “He’s a special player, and tonight he showed up like the special player he has always been. I thought we did some things to get him loose. The guys screened better, and that gave him some space to work. We got him moving in space and got him on the move. He was born for this.”

We have more on the Nuggets:

Murray wasn’t exactly snubbed during the 2016 draft — he was the No. 7 overall pick. However, he has drawn extra motivation from matching up against Kris Dunn, the No. 5 pick in the same draft, according to Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. Murray confirmed it’s “one hundred percent” accurate that he draws extra motivation from such matchups. “It’s not about making it personal. It’s just, you know, it goes for anybody. Not just (Dunn),” he said. “But it’s just a competitive spirit. It’s like I said, I like the challenge, and I like to give a challenge, too.”
Russell Westbrook, returning from a foot injury, played an underrated role in the Game 5 win, Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes. After two games in which the reserves provided little production, Westbrook scored 21 points in 25 minutes and gave the team a much-needed energy boost. “He’s coming in hitting threes, playing defense, doing so many things on the court,” Murray said. “We are going to need more of that. I like when he’s being aggressive, and I am not the only one yelling at the crowd. It’s nice to have somebody else like that.”
Denver recorded a lopsided victory despite a 13-point night from Nikola Jokic. The attention the former MVP drew helped several other offensive players thrive, according to Luca Evans of the Denver Post. “Holding Joker to 13 points and losing the game is tough,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “But, that’s how he beats you. If you worry about him too much, other guys can beat you.”
James Harden has been held to a combined 26 points over the last two games with Christian Braun serving as the primary defender against the Clippers’ veteran guard, Tyler King of the Denver Gazette notes. “They’ve made their mind up they’re gonna try to take him out of the series after the first two or three games,” Lue said. “They’re doing a good job. I gotta do a better job of just finding ways to get him open to get him space. Probably more (isolation) because they’re blitzing so much to try to get him to his spots.”

Nuggets Notes: Gordon, Adelman, Porter, Westbrook

April 26th, 2025 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

After letting a 22-point fourth quarter lead slip away, the Nuggets turned Saturday’s Game 4 against the Clippers into an instant classic, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Nikola Jokic‘s desperation three-pointer was badly off target, but Aaron Gordon was able to catch the ball in the air and dunk it with a tenth of a second left on the clock (Twitter video link from the NBA), giving Denver a 101-99 win that ties the series at 2-2.

“Air balls are really hard to defend against,” Gordon said. “I was just in the right place at the right time.”

Officials took a long look at video replays before determining that the game-winning shot counted. Referee Zach Zarba said in a pool report interview that the ball had to be fully out of Gordon’s hand before the buzzer sounded and the red light went on. Frame-by-frame analysis showed that it was, but just barely.

“That (game) is going to be on NBA TV someday,” interim coach David Adelman said. “… I’m glad it’ll be on Nuggets day and not Clippers day.”

There’s more on the Nuggets:

With Russell Westbrook unavailable due to inflammation in his left foot, Adelman leaned heavily on his starters in Game 4, Durando adds in the same piece. Jokic, Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., Jamal Murray and Christian Braun all played at least 42 minutes and no reserve saw more than 13. “Trying to find breaks at the right time. Using the TV timeouts as best we can,” Adelman said in outlining his strategy before the game. “You hate to use timeouts to rest players, but sometimes you have to do that in these games. … It’s Game 4. We’re down 2-1. Our main people, they’re gonna roll. They’re gonna play a lot.”
Six technical fouls were handed out in an altercation shortly before halftime (Twitter video link from Bleacher Report), but no one was ejected, per Law Murray and Tony Jones of The Athletic. Porter briefly left the bench area and ran onto the court before an assistant coach pulled him back, which means he could face a one-game suspension and a fine of up to $50K. “Sorry. I didn’t know the specific rule. I’m glad I didn’t make it very far,” Porter said (Twitter video link from Clippers beat writer Joey Linn). “… To see my guys get in it like that, I’m just glad I didn’t make it very far. The coaches and my teammates were aware. Because I wasn’t fully aware of any type of rule, but I’m very thankful that I did not get tossed from this game or anything like that. Definitely a learning experience for sure.”
Westbrook was noncommittal when asked about his status for Tuesday’s Game 5, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. After calling it a “trick question,” Westbrook’s only comment was, “I’ll be in the building.”

NBA Announces Finalists For 2024/25 Awards

April 20th, 2025 at 6:22pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic are the three finalists for the league’s Most Valuable Player award this season, the league announced on Sunday (Twitter link).

While all three players put up monster numbers, Gilgeous-Alexander is generally considered the favorite to win the award due in large part to the Thunder’s team success this season. Oklahoma City won a league-high 68 regular season games, compared to 50 for Jokic’s Nuggets and 48 for Antetokounmpo’s Bucks.

The finalists for each award represent the top three vote-getters. The winners will be announced at a later date.

Here’s a rundown of the finalists for the major NBA awards voted on by media members:

Coach of the Year

Kenny Atkinson (Cavaliers)
J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons)
Ime Udoka (Rockets)

Rookie of the Year

Stephon Castle (Spurs)
Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks)
Jaylen Wells (Grizzlies)

Sixth Man of the Year

Malik Beasley (Pistons)
Ty Jerome (Cavaliers)
Payton Pritchard (Celtics)

Defensive Player of the Year

Dyson Daniels (Hawks)
Draymond Green (Warriors)
Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)

Most Improved Player

Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
Dyson Daniels (Hawks)
Ivica Zubac (Clippers)

Clutch Player of the Year

Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)

Nuggets Notes: Westbrook, Porter, Murray, Jokic

April 20th, 2025 at 11:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook haunted his former team on Saturday, hitting a clutch three-pointer late in regulation and making several game-changing defensive plays to close out an overtime win over the Clippers, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Westbrook, who was traded and waived last summer after spending the past season and a half in L.A., delivered 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the series opener while playing nearly 35 minutes off the bench.

“Russ is Russ,” interim coach David Adelman said. “Defensively he was absolutely incredible. He was playing free safety out there. I thought a lot of the reasons why the (Clippers’ 20) turnovers happened, even if it wasn’t him forcing it, just the way he was roaming around and impacting the game, it was great for us. Then offensively, a couple of times I thought he attacked, maybe we could have pulled it out and executed, but that’s what Russ does. He’s going to play in attack mode. I don’t think he’s going to change after 17 years. If he sees somebody in front of him one-on-one, he’s going to attack, and he made an enormous three in the fourth.”

The Clippers employed a common strategy against Westbrook, giving him plenty of room to shoot from the outside and shutting down his drives to the basket. He was only 5-of-17 for the game, but 10 of his points came in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Westbrook didn’t want to comment on the Clippers’ approach to defending him, Shelburne adds, saying, “We can talk about that more when we take care of business.”

There’s more from Denver:

Westbrook’s expanded role came at the expense of Michael Porter Jr., who scored three points in a little more than 26 minutes and left the game for good early in the fourth quarter, per Luca Evans of The Denver Post. Adelman explained after the game that his closing lineup will always consist of the five “playing the best at that time,” which leads to questions about Porter’s role for the rest of the series. “I’m going to say it again, like I’ve said last week — if Mike comes out, and he plays, and he’s engaged defensively, he’s knocking down shots — Michael will be out there,” Adelman told reporters, “just like everybody else in that locker room.”
Jamal Murray was able to remain in Saturday’s game after a second quarter injury scare, Evans adds in a separate story. Murray landed awkwardly on his left leg while trying to defend a fast break and was unable to put much weight on it as he walked back to the bench. Although it seemed to affect him for the rest the game, the veteran guard still finished with 21 points and hit several key shots down the stretch.
Game 1 featured a slight controversy as Nikola Jokic tried to wrestle the ball away from Clippers lead assistant Jeff Van Gundy and trainer Jasen Powell during a late stoppage in play (Twitter video link), relays Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. L.A.’s coaching staff was considering a challenge, which wound up being unsuccessful. Durando recalls that Jokic had a similar incident involving Suns owner Mat Ishbia in the 2023 playoffs. “I didn’t see it. I didn’t see it. … (Jokic) did what he needed to do to try to get the ball in fast,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “But that’s smart. If a team has a chance to challenge, you want to get the ball in quickly. Tell our guys to do the same thing. But he is the best at it.”

Nuggets Notes: Pickett, Murray, Gordon, Jokic

April 19th, 2025 at 1:56pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of the Nuggets‘ decision to fire both general manager Calvin Booth and head coach Michael Malone with less than a week left in the regular season, second-year guard Jalen Pickett began seeing his name pop up in reports about the rift between Booth and Malone prior to their dismissals.

Booth’s desire for Malone to play Pickett more often – including over free agent addition Russell Westbrook – was cited as one of the sources of disagreement between the two franchise leaders. Those differences of opinion reportedly created tension in the organization and factored into the decision to let them both go.

“To be mentioned in these things, it’s kinda crazy,” Pickett acknowledged to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required) on Friday. “But growing up, you always want to be on this stage. So you gotta just accept everything that comes with it, at this point.”

After logging just 122 total minutes for the Nuggets as a rookie, Pickett has seen his role expand this season, especially in recent weeks. He averaged 24.5 minutes per night and earned four starts in Denver’s final eight games of the regular season. While it remains to be seen how much run he’ll get in the playoffs, Pickett is trying to focus on how he can help his team get past the Clippers rather than dwelling on how a managerial disagreement over his usage might’ve led to organizational changes.

“Can’t really focus on that type of stuff,” Pickett said. “Can’t control anything that happens in this business, as you can see from this year. But, just when my number’s called, I’m going to be ready each and every time I step on the floor. And that’s whatever the team needs me to do at this stage.”

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

While Denver can count on superstar center Nikola Jokic to contribute at a high level in the postseason, Jokic and the Nuggets will need the 2020 bubble version of Jamal Murray if they hope to have a shot at another title, opines Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. Murray averaged 26.5 points per game on .505/.453/.897 shooting during that postseason. “This is going to be a tough series for (Jamal),” interim head coach David Adelman said. “(The Clippers) have a lot of people to throw at him. And I think the biggest thing for us is, these guys — me, the staff — have to help Jamal. Because if we can get him free, we know what he’s capable of.”
Veteran forward Aaron Gordon has a long-term contract that keeps him under team control through at least 2028, but if the Nuggets can’t get past the first round in this year’s playoffs, could his days in Denver come to an end this offseason? Troy Renck of The Denver Post weighs that question, pointing out that Gordon might be more valuable as a trade chip in the event of a reboot than Murray or Michael Porter Jr.
In a pair of additional stories for The Denver Post, Durando explains why his Most Valuable Player vote went to Jokic and takes an in-depth look at how Adelman and the Nuggets have designed their offense around the three-time MVP in a way that maximizes his abilities while continuing to expand his boundaries. “Basically, for the last eight years, we have been watching the best players in our league that are not centers, and we’re saying that our guy can do everything they can do,” Adelman told The Denver Post. “Plus what a big guy does.”

Load More Posts