In the midst of the best season of his career, Nikola Jokic is playing his worst stretch of basketball. Ever. Over his last three games, Jokic has turned the ball over 22 times. The worst three-game stretch of his career. And it's starting to cost the Nuggets games.
Jokic is the team leader. The ball's in his hands more than anyone else's. He's entrusted to keep it safe and at least come away with a good look at a bucket.
But for whatever reason, he hasn't looked the same since he came back from missing 16 games with a knee injury. His turnover numbers and when those turnovers have occurred have been jarring to see. Especially the ones that keep happening in crunch time.
It's been sticking out like a sore thumb. We thought it was something we could overlook. But now that it's cost the Nuggets two of their last three games in the closing minutes, we have to ask some questions.
Is this the start of a larger problem, or just a bump in the road? Does the Joker need to rest more between games? Does he need to sit out games to rest?
The MVP doesn't matter that much to Jokic. The NBA's 65-game rule will rule him ineligible. But a title is still his and obviously the team's focus. At some point in the near future, the bigger picture will be looked at, and this will likely become a point of discussion.
The turnovers are magnifying the broader issues at hand
The Nuggets' defense is bad. They're 24th in the league in defensive rating. They're having a hard time stopping the ball, and they aren't getting pressure.
They're 29th in the league in steals. Every time you give the ball back, you dig a deeper hole. And when you don't stop them on defense, that hole can feel pretty deep.
Even when the Nuggets are leading games, they seem to give them back. It happened again against the Clippers. The Nuggets were leading most of the game until there were about four minutes left. And they failed to close out another clutch game.
Is it a chemistry issue? Cam Johnson and Christian Braun just returned to the starting lineup. They've been joined by Julian Strawther, who's looked really good, scoring in double figures in his last five games. Could it be that the game of musical chairs the Nuggets played all season at the end of the bench finally caught up to them?
Whatever it is, Jokic needs to lead the charge to figure out the remedy. And he needs to figure it out fast. The Nuggets have fallen to the fourth spot in the crowded Western Conference playoff race and have the toughest remaining schedule of any team.