It’s fair to argue that the Nuggets will always be contenders for as long as they have Nikola Jokic at the forefront. At 30, the three-time Most Valuable Player awardee has continued to wow critics; in fact, there is every reason to think that he hasn’t yet reached his peak even in his 11th year. The numbers he has been putting up this season have been nothing short of remarkable. He’s not merely norming a triple-double; he leads the National Basketball Association in major sabermetric categories. And yet conventional wisdom believes his best is yet to come, a testament to his status as first among equals.
Suffice to say that the Nuggets will not be second in the highly competitive Western Conference were Jokic not leading the way. Even as their roster has, for the most part, remained intact since they claimed the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2023, they need him to be his transcendent self practically every time they suit up. In large measure, it’s because their system relies on his otherworldly court vision in order to generate points; for all the playmaking virtues of vital cogs Jamal Murray and Russell Westbrook, they’re all but lost in his absence. Not for nothing have his plus-minus, on-off lines been heavily skewed in favor of his presence.
Granted, heliocentric offenses are akin to self-fulfilling prophecies. In the case of the Nuggets, the perpetuation of Jokic’s front-and-center role effectively nixes the long-term value of alternatives. Because sets have been designed to support his central position, any other option featuring any other teammate pales in comparison. Which is why they are left with no choice but to ride or die with him. Never mind that the opposition has learned to employ counters with a healthy degree of efficacy.
Not that Jokic is perfect. If there is any weakness to his game, it’s his middling defense. Little wonder, then, that as a whole, the Nuggets have been among the worst in the league in protecting the other side of the court. It’s why they have no other championships to their name despite his immense influence, and why they’re not seen as real threats vis-a-vis such notables as the Cavaliers, Thunder, and Celtics. At the same time, it’s hard to bet against him. If for no other reason than because they have him, they will always have more than just a puncher’s chance to meet with success anew.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
