The presence of inspiration comes from Nikola Jokic.
Is it fair to ask him to manage frustration in its absence?
Heck no. The Nuggets don’t need Jokic to play the heavy in the locker room.
But yes, somebody must provide bad cop energy, even if broadly defined, for the Nuggets to return to the NBA Finals.
This topic surfaced when an interview with Jokic dropped recently on the team’s YouTube page. Altitude’s Katy Winge asked Jokic about his process on learning to lead. His answer was refreshingly honest.
“I think a leader is someone who, sometimes, needs to be a bad guy, and I think that’s something I cannot be,” Jokic said. “When I get over that border– or take that next step — and stop worrying about whether they’re going to like me, sometimes you need to be the bad guy.”
The Nuggets cannot overlook this element as they creep into the postseason, attempting to secure the third or fourth seed. They cannot dismiss this impact.
And of course, they cannot mess with Jokic. He already carries too much burden to ask him to navigate another responsibility that is not natural for him.
Don’t take this out of context. Jokic is not a follower.
He provides leadership through tactical suggestions. Watch him in timeouts. He imparts strategy on offensive sets, defensive switches, and sometimes even tells teammates what inbounds plays opponents are running.
Everyday Jokic wears a Nuggets uniform, president Josh Kroenke and co-general managers Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace should send him texts on how much they value his contributions.
But one thing is missing for Jokic to become a top-10 player of all time. A second championship. All on that list have it.
Jokic elbowed into the pantheon of greatness with three MVPs, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, and Shaquille O’Neal among the top centers to ever roam the earth. With a fourth — the one swiped from him by Joel Embiid because of voter fatigue — he would already be in the top 10 without another ring.
Now, there is no guarantee he will win a title or the top individual trophy again.
No player 30 years or older has won MVP since Steve Nash in 2006. Jokic turned 31 on Feb. 19. He will likely finish fourth in the MVP balloting this season behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama and Luca Doncic, his first time outside the top three since the 2019-20 season.
A championship remains realistic now that the Nuggets are healthy and their schedule is no longer a sequel to “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”
To hear apologists tell it, Denver has had the toughest travel since the 1899 Sewanne Tigers, who won five college football games in six days on the road, including walking several miles to a stadium after an opponent’s fans greased the railroad tracks so their train could not stop.
My sarcasm was deliberate, and a reminder of why the Nuggets need a bad cop. The playoffs are no time for excuses.
My nominations, in order, are Aaron Gordon, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Christian Braun.
This isn’t a role that requires dealing with chaos or moodiness — Russell Westbrook is no longer on the team, remember? It centers on reluctance. As in the unwillingness to sell out defensively on a consistent basis.
It is the only thing preventing the Nuggets from making a deep playoff run. They are the NBA’s best offensive club, and are getting better with Peyton Watson’s return and rotations taking shape.
The postseason, however, is different. Scoring shrinks from role players in road games.
So while Jokic and Jamal Murray are as reliable as an ol’ pickup truck, they need the defense to become just as predictable.
Knowing that they can get stops when it matters most is more important than clutch shots.
Trying to win 16 games with an offensive-tilt is misguided, mirroring how MLB teams reliant on home runs get knocked out by good pitching every October.
We have seen Gordon’s scowl, his screws turn slightly lefty loosey on the threads. He does not run from confrontation, as seen Tuesday when he returned a hard pick with a more brutal screen, and mockingly clapped at the refs when Jokic drew a T.
Can he direct that same energy into a huddle if the Nuggets start out flat? Of course.
Hardaway brings a resume that demands respect. Though only in his first season as a Nugget, he has no problem getting to the point. Could he get embers glowing? Absolutely.
It is in Braun’s makeup to lead. He plays with intensity and is not afraid to talk trash. Talking truth to teammates is harder given his complementary role and age, but he knows the game so well that he should pick his spots to speak up.
I know, you think it should come from coach David Adelman? Well, Mike Malone tried that last April, and you saw how that worked out.
The best teams are player-led. Where guys self-police, holding each other accountable. We saw this group do that a year ago, coming together after Malone was fired.
They need something better, more forceful. They need strong voices to be candid when standards are not being met, most notably with defensive effort.
Adelman does not coddle players. He tells them the truth, and every player I have talked to appreciates that from him, including Jokic.
But Adelman is not going to call rage timeouts. Or spew lava from the sideline or behind a microphone. He is more mad scientist than mad anything else (though he will get blamed if this team falls short).
This is a player thing.
The Nuggets feed off Jokic’s toughness and brilliance, which is what made Tuesday’s win encouraging.
Tired of the nipping Chihuahuas’ defense against him, Jokic let the official have it early on, getting a technical. It was clearly intentional to send a message. Jokic let loose, then became refocused, which has not always been the case, as the officials sometimes stay in his head for far too long.
Again, this is where an edge from a leader — or a collective — comes into play.
Sometimes, even Jokic needs to be told to get over it. He accepts constructive criticism from my observation. And we know there will be nights this postseason when a voice is required to turn on the defense’s pilot light.
If the Nuggets want to play for another championship, they need a player — or players — to provide fire in uncomfortable moments.
They need a bad cop to complement Jokic’s great play.
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