Apparently, it wasn’t just the fans and media who were underwhelmed and concerned with the Nuggets’ preseason performance. We’ve already heard this sentiment from the head coach Michael Malone as well, and now the superstar, Nikola Jokic has echoed the very same thought.
In an interview on Monday, Jokic discussed his team’s play in the preseason in a very blunt manner. He was critical of the defense and shot-making specifically and stated “We played really bad and poorly the whole preseason”.
It’s a stark assessment and comes as a bit of an eye-opener with the NBA’s regular season just days away. It’s concerning to hear the MVP of the league criticizing his own team and calling out his teammates, his organization, and himself.
Jokic holding the Nuggets accountable is a good thing
But at the same time, Jokic isn’t saying anything controversial. Anyone with eyes who watched the preseason games knows that the team didn’t play well. The lack of defensive effort was on full display and in case it wasn’t obvious enough, Malone was happy to point it out in great detail during his press conference.
The lack of shooting was also abundantly clear to anyone watching the games or even reading the box score. They still aren’t taking or making nearly enough threes and their poor defense is allowing opponents to shoot them at a high percentage. The combination is a recipe for disaster right out of the gates.
Jokic being able to honestly acknowledge these issues at least shows a sense of awareness. When the best player and leader is throwing around comments like this, you can be sure that the message has been received loud and clear throughout the organization.
This is a great bit of leadership by the Joker, calling light to the team’s problems and telling everyone exactly what they need to fix, and how they know they must play better once the regular season starts. Role players take their cues from the stars and Jokic is setting the right example for his teammates - especially the younger ones.
Now, it’s one thing to say the right things. Everyone should know what the Nuggets need to do, and if the players need to hear it from Jokic, then that’s another problem. But doing the right things is another matter entirely. The real games are starting and the players all need to pick it up and bring the proper intensity and effort from opening night.