The Denver Nuggets became the talk of the NBA for all the wrong reasons on Saturday night after laying an egg in Washington, falling to the league-worst Wizards in embarrassing fashion. To say the team came under some scrutiny from the media would be a drastic understatement.
Luckily, they were able to fan the flames one night later with a resounding, and much-needed win in Atlanta over the Hawks. The Nuggets looked like a completely different team, one that was freshly energized and motivated to go out and prove their worth.
And perhaps that was the case because media members weren’t the only ones to scrutinize the Nuggets after their dreadful performance in Washington on Saturday night. Nikola Jokic did something he rarely does (at least publicly) and called out his teammates.
Keep in mind, that Jokic set a new career-high in the loss with 56 points and added 16 rebounds and 8 assists. No matter how you look at it, it’s hard to blame the Joker for the loss and the lack of overall effort. Sure, his defense was not up to his standards, but that seems like a nitpick on a night when he carried the offense to such a ridiculous degree.
Jokic suggests Nuggets players should be docked pay
Following the loss, Jokic spoke to the media and seemed perturbed and almost amused when talking bout the team’s performance. He was asked what the Nuggets needed to see in the next few games and offered a stunning response.
“A reaction. In my country, where I’m coming from, after this kind of stretch, you’re gonna get a paycheck that is a little bit less than you are worth. So maybe that’s what we need to do. Maybe a little motivation that way.”
This comment is clearly a bit tongue-in-cheek from the Joker. Surely he isn’t genuinely suggesting his co-workers shouldn’t be paid due to poor performance or lack of effort. But there’s also clearly some underlying intent and truth to what he’s saying.
Jokic has every right to call out the organization
It’s ridiculous for Jokic to be playing this well and for the team to be doing so poorly. Everyone else in the organization needs to be held more accountable for what is happening with the team, from the owners, to the front office, to the coaches, down to the players. Nobody, other than Jokic, is blameless.
Jokic has never been one to apply pressure to his own organization, especially relative to some other NBA superstars. But this feels like a message that what’s going on isn’t good enough. He is not going to be in his prime for as long as we think and the team needs to capitalize on the time they have; what’s happening currently isn’t acceptable and Jokic is right to call it out.
Hopefully, the message was received and if Sunday’s game was any indication, perhaps it was. This could be the turning point in the season and the wake-up call that was needed. And it all may have started with an outlandish and comical suggestion from Nikola Jokic.