Nikola Jokic gets brutally honest as Nuggets’ early-season struggles continue

Two seasons ago, the Denver Nuggets were NBA Champions. But now it seems like the team has struck a bit of a wall in their quest for more NBA titles.

Despite having Nikola Jokic, the best player in the NBA, on their roster, the Nuggets sit at 11-9 early in the season. This Nuggets team looks like a shell of themselves, even though most of their starters were on the roster for their championship-winning season.

Following a miserable 126-114 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jokic did not hold back when talking about his team’s woes. So far, he is not liking what he is seeing out of the Nuggets so far this season.

“I think 20 games in we should know who we are and we should know what we’re supposed to do,” said Jokic, via Vic Lombardi of AltitudeTV.

Nuggets struggling to find an identity

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

For weeks now, the Nuggets have looked tired and unmotivated whenever they get on the court. Even though they are just a squeak above a .500 record, they’ve often looked a step or two behind whatever team they’ve faced.

The lack of effort was even called out by Nuggets head coach Michael Malone in a recent postgame press conference.

Michael Malone calls out starters after the blowout loss to the Knicks. “I need Nikola Jokic. I need Jamal Murray. I need guys that have been here in that starting lineup to be vocal.”
Following the loss to the 114-126 loss to the Cavaliers, Malone was equally as unhappy with his team’s performance. When asked how the Nuggets measured up against the Cavaliers, Malone admitted that they weren’t even close.

“They’re 20-3 now for a reason. We’re a team that’s trying to find themselves, and I think that was fairly obvious tonight,” said Malone, via AltitudeTV. “They’re a superior team across the board.”

One of the biggest knocks against the Nuggets this season has been their defensive effort. They have also done an abysmal job guarding the three-point line. The Cavaliers would bully the Nuggets from three-point range, knocking down 22 threes.

“Just all night long, it felt like we were stuck in mud just chasing our tail,” said Malone. “… We got a lot of film to watch. There was a lot of breakdowns in that communication and our gameplan and our discipline tonight. That can’t be the case against a team like that.”

The Nuggets will look to get back into the win column as they face the Washington Wizards on Saturday.