The noise around Nikola Jokić is already getting louder, and Denver hasn’t even gotten out of the opening week.
After the Nuggets fell into a 1-2 start, social media did what it always does when a superstar leaves a little room for interpretation: it turned every word and gesture into a referendum on the future. Jokić criticized fans who booed the team at the home opener, then doubled down after Denver’s loss to Golden State on Monday. That’s enough to send the speculation machine into overdrive, especially since he passed on signing an extension over the offseason.
But this is where the temperature needs to be kept in check. Jokić will be eligible next summer to sign a five-year, $360 million deal, and he has said he wants to be with the Nuggets forever. If there’s an NBA star whose word still carries real weight, it’s him.
That doesn’t make the optics great. A franchise center going at the fan base after a rough start is never a clean look, and it’s especially touchy for a team that came into the season with championship expectations.
Still, the idea that Jokić is using this as a soft launch for an exit doesn’t match what’s on the table. He didn’t skip the extension as some kind of message to the front office, and he hasn’t turned this into a pressure play.
The simplest answer is still the best one: win, and the conversation shrinks.
Denver hasn’t done enough of that yet, but October doesn’t decide anything by itself. There are 79 games left, and this early stretch has already been complicated by injuries.
Cam Johnson is out with an ankle issue, Julian Strawther has a knee injury, Spencer Jones is dealing with a hamstring problem, and Alpha Diallo has been away for personal reasons. The Nuggets look like a very different group without Johnson, and while he’s doubtful for Wednesday against the Pelicans, the expectation is that he’ll be back soon.
The on-court issues aren’t limited to availability. Jokić hasn’t been efficient, shooting 41.7 percent from the field.
Aaron Gordon has also been off, at least over the last two games. Christian Braun hasn’t given Denver much offensively either, and Jamal Murray was quiet in the opener before putting up 42 points this season.
So no, this isn’t a team that looks sharp right now. But it’s also not a team that’s stuck in some irreversible spiral.
If Jokić truly wanted out, that would change the entire mood around this start. Instead, he’s still saying he wants to retire in Denver, and there’s no reason to assume that changed just because the Nuggets stumbled out of the gate.
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The Nuggets will also have to remember that Minnesota is not short on ways to survive a star absence. With other pieces capable of taking on more, the Wolves believe they can keep competing while Edwards is out, which makes the schedule ahead worth watching from Denvers side. Their next two meetings come at the end of December, and there is at least a chance the picture looks different by then. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Suddenly Have An Energy Issue They Can't Ignore
Through the first three games, the Nuggets have looked better at one end of the glass and noticeably shakier at the other. Their offensive rebounding has climbed into the top five early on, a sign the coaching staffs emphasis on crashing the boards is already showing up, but the defensive side has been a different story. Denver is giving away too many extra chances, and that has become an early energy test the team cannot really dismiss.
Nikola Jokics presence usually steadies that area, which is why his quieter start there stands out so much. After leading the league on the glass last season, he has been held to 7 rebounds in both the Thunder and Warriors games, and the Nuggets have felt the difference. It is still a tiny sample, but if Denver is going to clean up this part of its game, it likely starts with Jokic setting a firmer tone on the defensive boards. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Backcourt Rumors Just Got More Interesting Around Jokic And Murray
Denvers uneven opening stretch has already stirred up enough noise around a team that expects to be judged by much loftier standards. After the loss to Golden State and Nikola Jokics pointed remarks aimed at fans who booed, the Nuggets now find themselves dealing with the kind of early-season scrutiny that tends to follow a contender when the rhythm is off and the rotation has questions.
Into that backdrop comes a fresh wrinkle in the backcourt conversation. Jake Fischer reported that Denver is among the teams taking a look at Kevin Porter Jr. as a possible addition, with the idea centered more on giving the second unit another scoring option than on reworking the entire guard picture. It is the sort of rumor that does not change the roster overnight, but it does say plenty about how the Nuggets are probing for help while trying to steady a season that has already produced more friction than they would like. [Read more 🡒]