There have been countless takeaways from the Nuggets’ tragically epic 140-139 double-overtime loss to the Timberwolves on Tuesday night. Fair or not, most of them involve Russell Westbrook, who captured the headlines with consecutive, jaw-dropping blunders in the final 12 seconds that cost Denver the game.
Miraculously, Nikola Jokic’s record-setting night became an afterthought, but the reigning MVP dropped the highest point total in NBA history in a triple-double with 61 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in the loss.
Despite one of the greatest individual performances in NBA history, the Nuggets, at home, still were not able to defeat a Timberwolves team that was missing Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo. Sadly, this has become a bit of a trend and it’s a reflection on a bigger issue, how the Nuggets organization has let Jokic down during one of the best runs of any player in the history of the league.
Nuggets fall to 0-4 when Jokic scores 50+ points
When Jokic and the Nuggets are at their best, he’s got the ball on a string and he’s making plays all over the court, scoring only when necessary. But smart teams with the right personnel, like the T-Wolves, take away the passing lanes, lock down shooters, and force Jokic to become a scorer, keeping him from getting his teammates involved.
This has proven to be all too successful a strategy and when Jokic needs to carry the scoring load, the team hasn’t experienced much success. They are now 0-4 all-time in games when he scores 50+ points and this season they are 4-5 when he puts up 40+ points.
When Jokic takes his scoring to the next level, time and again, his teammates haven’t been able to pick up the slack and help him out. It’s an effective recipe for slowing down Denver’s offense and it’s a sad reflection on the supporting cast around the Joker.
In Tuesday’s loss, it’s important to point out that the Nuggets were missing Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., but still, Aaron Gordon had 30 points, Christian Braun had 18, and nobody else had more than 12 on a night when 58 minutes of basketball were played. That’s just not going to cut it.
Nuggets have mismanaged the margins for several years
This all boils down to the Nuggets’ biggest problem, the team has no depth. They’ve let Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown, Jeff Green, and Justin Holiday walk in recent years and haven’t replaced any of them.
They handed out awful contracts to Zeke Nnaji, Dario Saric, and Reggie Jackson, then traded the last of the team’s draft capital to get off the Jackson contract. As a result, Jokic is stuck with a supporting cast that features nobody who can sniff an All-Star or All-Defense team, no promising young stars, no diamonds in the rough, and no reliable bench.
Building around Jokic should be very easy to do, but the Nuggets have made it look hard. He deserves better and he shouldn’t have to carry the burden he does on a nightly basis just to keep the Nuggets competitive. When he is even a tiny bit off, the team has no chance, and even when he puts up 60-point triple-doubles, they don’t seem to either.
It’s a grim scene and a sorry state of affairs, but that’s the sad reality that we are faced with. Hopefully, Jokic can rise to another level, the role players can step up, and this team can find a way to go on a magical run, but even if they do, they need to find a way to make major upgrades this offseason. They owe it to Jokic before the rest of his incredible prime is wasted.