What’s Wrong with the Three-Time MVP?
While the Nuggets may have hoped to gain a convincing lead over the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in yesterday's Game Four matchup, Denver’s hopes would be squashed with a 92-87 Thunder victory, bringing the series tied at two games apiece. With all but one of the games in this pivotal Western Conference Semifinals series coming down to the wire, each player on either team needs to perform at their best. They both need to make shots when they need to, secure rebounds, and not turn the ball over in key, pivotal moments. Surprisingly, though, one player on the Nuggets hasn’t fared too well as of late, that player being Nikola Jokić.
Since putting up a monster 42 points in Denver’s Game One win over the Thunder, the three-time NBA MVP has struggled as of late. He is shooting 33 percent from the field in the last three games and 18 percent from beyond the arc. Couple these poor shooting performances with the big man averaging nearly six turnovers a game while only producing five assists over this three-game stretch, down from his 10.2 average during the regular season, and one can tell that arguably the best player in the world is a shell of his former self. What then could be the reason for this slump? Are these poor performances merely just a product of bad luck, or are there deeper issues at the root here?
For starters, we can’t ignore that the Oklahoma City Thunder are statistically the best defensive team in the NBA. The Thunder led the NBA in defensive rating, giving up only 106.6 points per 100 possessions while also leading all teams in blocks and steals. With a defense of this caliber, it makes sense for Jokić to be a little flustered and for his numbers to drop slightly, but this isn’t merely just a drop in numbers. Jokić is missing wide-open shots, open layups, and passes that were once routine for the center have now become turnovers. Regardless of how great a defense may be, great players still find ways to work around it and produce for their team. So if the OKC defense isn’t entirely responsible for Jokić’s lack of production, what then could be the issue? The answer, I believe, is that Nikola Jokić is utterly exhausted.
In the regular season, Nikola Jokić led the Nuggets in points, assists, rebounds, and steals while also leading the team in blocks this postseason, alongside all these other facets. While it is normal for Jokić to lead his team in many categories, he did so while averaging the most minutes in his career at 36.7 per game. This increase in minutes is largely due to a lack of production from fellow team members, leading the Joker to not only play more to make up for their absences, but also to score more, as Nikola also averaged a career high in points this season, as well as dropping in nearly 30 a game. Playing at this length while being asked to lead your team in every statistical category, all the while your team is in the midst of a coaching turmoil, is sure to tax a player both mentally and physically. Then, after adding the OKC defense into the equation, it honestly makes perfect sense why Nikola Jokić is struggling as playing against the number one defense in the NBA, on top of being already burnt out in general, is sure to lessen a player’s ability to impact a game.
Unfortunately for Jokić, though, he may not have another option but to try to play better. As stated, Jokić leads the team in virtually every statistical category. If the Nuggets are going to have a shot at getting through this series, let alone winning the NBA Finals, their best player is going to have to perform; otherwise, the team simply doesn’t have enough firepower to get the job done. Can Jokić overcome his fatigue? Can he surpass his limits that we’ve seen before our eyes? We’ll have to see in Game Five.
