In many ways, the idea of a gap year and a soft reset makes a lot of sense for the Nuggets. The team has put itself in a bad situation thanks to years of asset mismanagement, and now the chickens have come home to roost. The financial situation is meager, and the team is almost certainly going to have to dump salary and inevitably come back with a worse roster.
It’s not hard to see why it makes sense to blow it up to an extent, try to get as many assets back as possible, and make another legitimate run at it a year or two from now. They could essentially sell off everyone but Jokic and Peyton Watson, try to recoup as much value as possible, and use draft picks and prospects to build a team that can compete for titles as the Joker ages out of his prime.
That may genuinely be the best realistic option for the Nuggets going forward. But here’s the problem: You can’t do that to Jokic.
Jokic is too good for a gap year
He’s still playing at an MVP level, and we don’t know how much longer that’s going to last. He’s been a good soldier every step of the way for this franchise, and while things look bleak at the moment, that can change in a hurry.
At the moment, the Spurs and Thunder look unbeatable, but we’ve seen other teams look like young dynasties and fade out quickly. Besides, there’s no reason those teams won’t be better several years from now, so the next year or two may actually be the best opportunities to steal another ring in this decade.
As long as Jokic is on the Nuggets, they have a shot. It's not like they are going to rip apart the roster and come back with the top pick in the draft next year. Even this season, with all the injuries and a roster that’s not on the level, they fought and secured a three seed. They ran into a bad matchup with the familiar Timberwolves and exited in embarrassing fashion, but this looked like a title contender at times during the season.
Things could easily break the Nuggets' way
They challenged the Thunder and Spurs. And if they can make a few tweaks and give Jokic a shot, there’s a chance he can have another magical playoff run. What if the Spurs and Thunder meet in the second round next year? What if the Spurs win, but Wemby rolls an ankle?
You never know when opportunity will knock, and you have to give yourself a chance to answer. Jokic deserves that, at the very least. You can’t make up for past mistakes, but you can do right going forward. Spend what has to be spent. Make the necessary trades. But give Jokic a roster worthy of at least getting into the mix.
Once you get there, anything can happen. And with Jokic in the Nuggets’ corner, they’ve got a chance in every game they play. Until that’s no longer the case, this ownership group and front office owe it to Jokic to make sure he has a fighting chance.
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