Josh Kroenke's position is clear. He believes this iteration of the Denver Nuggets can win another championship.
Denver is going to run things back, banking on internal development and the coaching chops of David Adelman. But if Kroenke ends up being wrong, it’s going to continue damaging the potential of Nikola Jokic's legacy.
Where Jokic ranks amongst the all-time greats
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If Jokic retired today, he'd already go down as a consensus top 15-20 player of all time. He has mind-boggling stats, three regular-season MVPs, a legendary title run, and a Finals MVP. He’s also regularly lifted injured or flawed teams to outperform expectations (Seriously, go look at the injured roster he carried to 48 wins in 2021-22. It is _still_ one of his most underrated accomplishments.) And oh yeah, he's NEVER played with an All-Star or All-Defensive player.
While the last five seasons of Jokic's prime are as good as any half-decade run by anyone not named Michael Jordan or LeBron James, his resume is still missing one key ingredient: Multiple championships.
In his career, Jokic has only two playoff runs past the second round: the bubble in 2020 and the title year in 2023. This isn’t criticism. It’s simply a fact that stems from bad injury luck and a lack of high-end talent around him. The two times Jamal Murray did his best Steph Curry impression in the playoffs, Denver made it past the second round. When Jokic has had an elite second option, the Nuggets are almost unbeatable.
As unfair as it may seem, Jokic is going to need more than one ring to move up the ladder. Right now, he's outside of the top ten, with the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon, Oscar Robertson, Kevin Durant, Moses Malone, Giannis, Dr. J, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Karl Malone, and Dirk Nowitzki. Like Jokic, all these guys have exceptional resumes but haven't won quite enough to be considered among the very best.
Kevin Durant has all the makings of a top ten player, and he’s won two titles, but they came after losing to and then joining a 73-win team. His inability to lead OKC, Brooklyn, or Phoenix to a title as “the guy” will end up costing him, and both championships will always have asterisks.
Neither Oscar, Dirk, nor West has more than one title, and West and Oscar played in an era where there were a fraction of the current teams. Karl Malone had an amazing career, but famously never won a ring, getting denied by Jordan's Bulls twice.
Moses Malone is a great example of someone who is severely underrated historically due to not winning more titles. His resume is also eerily similar to Jokic's: Three MVPS, a Finals MVP, and insane stats, but just the one championship.
Another comparable guy is Giannis, who has two MVPS, a Finals MVP, and one title. Ironically, the Nuggets' trajectory after winning it all in 2023 is looking eerily similar to the fall of the Milwaukee Bucks since they won it in 2021.
What happens if the Nuggets win the title next season?
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It's simple. The thing separating Jokic from exclusive basketball royalty is more championships. Jordan and Kareem have six. Magic, Duncan, and Kobe have five. LeBron, Shaq, and Steph have four. Bird has three.
Jokic doesn’t necessarily have to match _all_ those guys, especially considering he’s never played with a Robin as good as Scottie Pippen or Dwyane Wade (Or had a freaking teammate who _was_ one of the best players ever, like Magic, Kareem, Kobe, and Shaq.) But to truly secure a spot in history that he deserves, he needs _at least_ one more. And if he can somehow get two more, he might even start flirting with the top five.
Everything hinges on whether the vision of Nugget’s ownership pays off or fails spectacularly. But if it works? If Jokic leads _this_ version of the Nuggets to another title? Then the once pudgy little kid from Serbia will forever have his name mentioned amongst the greatest to ever lace 'em up.