“You comprise Jokic’s success” – Stephen A. believes the Nuggets are to blame for Nikola Jokic not having more championships originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Even though certain European players have already led their franchises to long-awaited championships, there remains an ongoing expectation for some of them to repeat such heroics in order to validate their true worth. At the center of this discourse stands Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is constantly put under pressure for leading the Milwaukee Bucks to another title if he wants to justify the pedestal he is kept on.
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However, for Stephen A. Smith, Nikola Jokic does not face the same degree of pressure as Giannis simply because the Denver Nuggets are to blame for trading away key players and not entirely betting on The Joker’s prime.
Smith on why Jokic is under no pressure to win another title
When Jokic led the Nuggets to their first-ever title in 2023, he did so by shouldering the majority of the team’s responsibilities almost single-handedly, averaging 30.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game, along with registering 10 triple-doubles, in the playoffs. Yet, despite that success, Denver’s front office failed to allocate resources effectively to retain essential contributors. They let go of Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, two players who held considerable value in the team’s locker room. The following season, they allowed experienced player in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to leave.
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According to Stephen A., unlike Giannis, Nikola has never dictated roster moves or even expressed preferences about which player the team should pursue. As a result, the blame gets placed on Denver’s management for parting ways with players who suit Jokic’s playing style. Ultimately, this lack of organizational commitment has only increased the pressure on the Serbian to play at an even higher rate, rather than alleviating pressure through roster balance.
“I don’t think Jokic because we’ve seen Jokic be phenomenal, winning league MVPs. First of all, what did you let go of, Bruce Brown for? What did you let go off Jeff Green for? Money! So you comprise Jokic’s success,” Smith said. “He still went out on the court and delivered, and you see him, walking around, I say it affectionately, looking like a big tub of lard, can’t jump onto a curb and (yet) you can’t stop him. It’s unbelievable. I’ve just never seen anything like it.”
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Does Giannis face unnecessary pressure?
Although The Joker has collected more MVP awards than The Greek Freak, Antetokounmpo, too, functions as a one-man engine, exerting tremendous impact on both ends of the floor for the Bucks. It is also true that his impatience contributed to the franchise making hasty roster moves, including trading away Jrue Holiday and later Khris Middleton. Nonetheless, Giannis achieved something remarkable by delivering a championship to the very franchise that drafted him, etching his name into franchise history in a way few players ever have.
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So while it appears unjust to witness Antetokounmpo being held to greater expectations to win another ring and prove his all-time worth than Jokic, this disparity underscores the partiality that exists in the NBA realm between players. Just because Nikola hasn’t been in the media, it doesn’t mean he hasn’t given his input regarding Denver’s roster construction. As such, he should bear the same burden Giannis has in Milwaukee to get to the promised land again.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 19, 2025, where it first appeared.