The Nuggets find themselves getting bullied by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs, down 2-1 and getting pushed around and beaten to the basket. And Nikola Jokic has looked like a shell of himself we saw mere weeks ago in the regular season. He's been so bad against Rudy Gobert that these next few games could change the discourse about his legacy, and it could lead down a path that blows the current form of the Nuggets up this summer if they can't get it done.
Jokic and the Nuggets came into the season as title-contending favorites. But they've hardly looked the sort in the first three games of the series, and Game 3 may have been one of Jokic's worst playoff performances.
He's been dominated by Gobert, and it's even raised some questions about his status as the best basketball player in the world. It's hard to argue with that after seeing how ineffective the Joker has been against Gobert in the past two games.
Jokic's legacy is at stake over the next few games
The fact that this series is so bad that it could derail how everyone views the one-time champion, three-time MVP, is disheartening. But that one championship and multiple non-conference final exits are taking a toll on the debate. And a first-round exit at the hands of the team built to beat you isn't exactly a great look, either.
Jokic will have to dig deep and power the Nuggets past the Timberwolves, or at least turn into the Jokic we know and love for the rest of the series. He needs big games, and the Nuggets need to get out of the first round for the legacy to truly keep going the way it is viewed now.
The Nuggets could blow the team up
A first-round exit would probably result in some major changes to the current iteration of the Nuggets. They are way over the luxury tax next season, dangerously close to the second apron tax, and they still have to try to re-sign Peyton Watson in restricted free agency. And they may not even do that if the Nuggets don't advance.
The Nuggets front office could use it as an excuse to be cheap and say, "We're not a contender now, so we're going to get under the tax." It's not far-fetched. The Nuggets could send Aaron Gordon away on a trade, or gulp...what kind of package do they land for Jamal Murray and build around Jokic for a couple of more years? Yikes, mode.
The Nuggets need to contend for the Kroenke's to keep paying the tax penalties, and a first-round exit doesn't accomplish that. It's a sad reality that they don't want to pay to the moon to put a team around Jokic, but it's the reality. They had the chance this year by keeping Michael Porter Jr., and they didn't.
Of course, this is theoretical for now. The Nuggets can even the series at 2-2, reestablish home-court advantage, and take the series. But if they don't, there are some ugly conversations that could be had.
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