The Nuggets are off to a 1-1 start and one of the head scratching headlines in Nikola Jokic scoring so little.
Nikola Jokic is the premier star of the Denver Nuggets and the clear cut future of the franchise. So it is a bit concerning to Nuggets fans for him to be so passive and tentative with potential scoring opportunities.
Denver Nuggets
In the loss to the Utah Jazz, Jokic shot only 30% from the field and in the home opener where Denver defeated Sacramento, he did not score a single point. Don’t be fooled though, Jokic is still finding other ways to be effective.
He is still passing at a star level and rebounding efficiently. However, the Nuggets will need scoring out put from him if they want to beat the best teams in the league. Part of this may have to do with Coach Michael Malone’s offensive scheme and trying to find a way to incorporate Paul Millsap into the system.
However, shooting only a few attempts and looking passive shows part of it is also Nikola himself. While people may point to his other statistics and say his shooting performance could have been worse, let me make these points. First of all, in order to win the game of basketball, you have to be able to put the ball in the hoop, regardless of how good your defense may be. Second of all, let me paraphrase something the great Kobe Bryant once said.
He said he would rather be 0-30 than 0-9 because 0-9 means he lost faith in himself. This is probably not the exact quote, but you get the point. Has Jokic lost confidence in himself and his ability to score? We do not know, but he must be more aggressive if the team wants to have consistent throughout the season.
Next: Three takeaways from Nuggets vs Kings
Millsap has already proven to be comfortable in the system, so he can stop deferring now and get back to the way he was producing last season.