Denver Nuggets: Jusuf Nurkic wants Nikola Jokic to score, not pass

Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic wants Nikola Jokic to score more in their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets. The Blazers are hoping that by forcing the Serbian to focus on scoring, the rest of the Nuggets won’t be able to get going.

“When he scores, I think we have a better chance. The fact he isn’t involving all his teammates, he gets more dangerous when he’s in and out. I think we feel more comfortable when he scores 30 or 40 and try to lock in on all the other guys to not have a big game,” Nurkic told Royce Young, ESPN.

Nikola Jokic scored 34 points in a losing effort but logged a career-low one assist. The last time Jokic had only one assist was on Jan. 2, 2020, against the Indiana Pacers.

The entire game, Portland guarded the Joker one-on-one, not bringing any help defenders. Nurkic was spot on with his post-game analysis though, while Jokic definitely got his and it looked like he was having some fun going against Enes Kanter (an obvious target), the team clearly wasn’t successful.

When Jokic did pass the ball, his teammates shot a collective 1-10 on possible assists per ESPN Stats & Information.

How can the Denver Nuggets, Nikola Jokic counter?

That final stat is a fair indicator of what’s to come. If the Denver Nuggets and head coach Michael Malone don’t react heading into Game 2, it’s a safe bet to rest on their laurels and hope the shots start to drop.

When Nikola Jokic is on the court, his teammates shoot +4.7 percent better at the rim, +12.5 percent (!) from the short-mid/floater area, and a hair better from behind the arc, +0.2 percent per Cleaning the Glass.

It may be the playoffs and that may bring playoff intensity, but this was a horrid shooting night from most of the Nuggets. Michael Porter Jr made all 12 of his attempts inside the 3-point line but was 1-10 from behind, Austin Rivers was 1-5 from long range, and the bench was a collective 2-7.

It also doesn’t help that the Denver Nuggets are missing their second-best player and elite 3-point marksman Jamal Murray either. Sadly, there’s no adjustment to help with that.

“[Portland] was playing me straight up. They were going under pick-and-rolls. They didn’t help much on my drives or post-ups. It was that kind of night,” Jokic said after Game 1.

“They did a good job. They made me work for it on every possession. They kind of took other guys out. I couldn’t get other guys involved, maybe. Just because of the assists, I’m saying that.”

One positive for Nikola’s poor passing night was that his one assist was only matched by a single turnover. It’s not that he was forcing the issue, trying to rack up assists, and teammate makes, he just played his regular game.

On top of the 3-point shooting, the Nuggets can also look to abuse Jokic’s matchups. If Portland willingly want to single cover the best offensive center and presumptive MVP, I wish them the best of luck. If they want to broadcast their defensive game plan and talk about how well it’s working after one game, then I might buckle up for a big Game 2.

Kanter isn’t a great defender, Nurkic is good, and behind that… A whole lot of nothing. If Nurk gets in foul trouble early on: abuse Kanter. That not only helps Nikola, but it also helps open up driving lanes for the Nuggets perimeter players.

The other end of the court is a whole different story, but that’s for another article.

There’s a fine line for NBA coaches knowing whether to stick with what they’ve got or when to make an adjustment. Malone has a big decision to make heading into Game 2 and it’s up to the Basketball Gods to decide if the shots fall.