Nikola Jokic seeing positives in Nuggets' recent struggles

12/28/2024 11:08 AM

As the Denver Nuggets play the Detroit Pistons Saturday night, they are coming off a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 149-135, where they gave up the most points on their home floor. Despite the Nuggets’ frustrations, star Nikola Jokic sees the positives in the recent struggles and puts the reality of the season into perspective.

In the loss to Cleveland, the Denver center would record another triple-double as he finished with 27 points on 12 for 19 shooting to go along with 14 rebounds and 13 assists. He would be asked after the game about the team, the point they are in, and would say that they “are in a good spot” and instead of people blaming the team for the struggles, they should start with himself according to Harrison Wind.

“I think how we play, that we are in a good spot, I think we are not even close to where we’re supposed to be,” Jokic said. “I think how bad we’ve played, we’re in a good spot, I think we need to start thinking what I can do for this team to help, not what the team can do to help me. Is it screening, is it rolling, is it a passing issue, is it rebounding, is it playing defense? I think we should, I call it point this way (to himself) not this way (to his team).”

“We are not even close to where we’re supposed to be. I think how bad we’ve played, we’re in a good spot.”

Nikola Jokic on the Nuggets' struggles

(via @HarrisonWind)pic.twitter.com/mvJ0nEAudy

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 28, 2024

The Nuggets have been up and down this season, as it seems they could never find a way to play consistent basketball for a productive stretch. However, some in the basketball world feel they will get it together one way or the other since the team led by Jokic plus the likes of Jamal Murray won the NBA Finals in 2023.

Nuggets look for consistency heading into the New Year

Still, other teams around them in the Western and even Eastern Conference have got better, including the Cavaliers who put up 149 points on them. As Nuggets head coach Mike Malone commented on Mike Brown being fired in fiery fashion, he would give props to Cleveland according to The Denver Post.

"They're a great team. They do that every night," Malone said. "… No one seems to be able to stop that team."

Some may argue that injuries have had a part to play like Nuggets star Aaron Gordon who is dealing with a calf injury as his timeline seems to be unclear. Malone would speak more about the status after the game about the injury that has resurfaced for Gordon.

"I don't like to give timelines because they're always so hard to gauge with a soft-tissue injury like Aaron has," Malone said. "But my fingers crossed that this is not a 12-game (absence), like where he missed almost a month last time he had that injury. I called a timeout to get him out, to get him checked, and then we shut him down because we did not want to get him to that point.”

The Nuggets are 16-13 which puts them seventh in the West as they look to get back in the win column against Detroit.

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