Nikola Jokic has been his typically brilliant self this season, taking things to another level in recent days with one Nugget after another missing time with injury. But his excellent play is masking some serious issues in Denver, namely, other sources of scoring.
Peyton Watson got off to a strong start this season, but playing more of his minutes with Jokic and Jamal Murray has meant less time on the ball, which has made him look lost at times on the offensive end.
Tim Hardaway Jr. has become scarily important to an offense for a guy who is known for his streaky shooting, and lost his shot at the worst possible time for the Pistons last season. The bench guys have been a big upgrade from last season, but Bruce Brown and Jonas Valanciunas weren’t brought in to provide scoring punch.
Julian Strawther is just making his way back into the lineup and should theoretically provide some scoring, but he hasn’t proven that he can stay in the rotation consistently. Spencer Jones has been a revelation, but he’s quickly running out of NBA eligibility on his current two-way deal, and could be a wild card if asked to play a major role in his playoff debut.
Nuggets need to diversify scoring
The good news for the Nuggets is that reinforcements are on the way. Aaron Gordon got off to a great start, averaging almost 19 points per game, and should hopefully be back in the next few weeks. The same goes for Christian Braun, who got off to a slower start but has proven capable of more.
And now Cam Johnson is set to miss a month or two, just as he was starting to find a rhythm within the offense. It’s a shame that we haven’t gotten to see this whole rotation operating at full strength for long. And while we know the capabilities of the individuals, it would still be nice to see them play together and develop the proper chemistry.
We know it’s in there, but the season is flying by with Denver already hitting the 30-game mark. Jokic is averaging 29.8 points a game, with Murray not far behind at 25.4. Those are great numbers, and it’s a major positive that they’re both playing so well. But it’s also not sustainable, and it’s not a recipe for success, especially come playoff time, and especially against the best defenses in the NBA.