ESPN Digital Jul 19, 2023, 09:19 ETRead: 5 min.
Jokic is showered with MVP chants while rafting
Nikola Jokic is serenaded with MVP chants while rafting on a river.
Last season, the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic dominated from start to finish in the NBA.
After being champion, now the Nuggets and Jokic face the post-title challenge: How can they not settle? How to challenge yourself? How to keep the hunger to win again?
ESPN experts analyze the next season of Nikola Jokic.
1- What is the main challenge for Nikola Jokic in the next season?
What has been done so far by the Serbian center does not allow us to speculate or ask him to prove something. Winning the MVP of the regular season twice, being champion and MVP of the Finals does not speak more than the dominance of the ‘Joker’ in the NBA.
Without a doubt, I think his main challenge for the season that is about to start will be to maintain his dominance and continue to set triple-double records to get the Denver Nuggets back into the championship race.
Staying healthy after a long season for him should also be among his points to take care of, because if Denver wants to endorse his championship (and he has everything to do it), the health of his figures, but mainly that of Jokic will be key. The Nuggets are one with him inside and the other with him off the court. (Rolando del Bosque)
2- A key number or statistic for Nikola Jokic in the next season.
39. This was the number of triple-doubles that Nikola Jokic accumulated in 2022-23, adding regular season and playoffs. The 29 in the regular season was the highest number of his career thus far and made him the sixth player in history – and first center – to record at least 100 triple tens. With 10 in the playoffs he broke a 56-year record for these performances in a single postseason, which belonged to Wilt Chamberlain.
Any advanced number (14.9 win-share, 31.5 PER, to name a few) mostly comes down to what Jokic brings to those facets of the game. In both the regular season (24.5 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 9.8 APG) and the playoffs (30.0, 13.5, 9.5), Jokic came within thousandths of averaging a triple double. The Nuggets will continue to be a solid title contender as the Serbian approaches the triple double and at 28 (he turns 29 in February) and the peace of mind that a title brings, there is no reason to think he can’t match or top that stat in 2023-24.
In his case it is not about accumulating numbers; the Nuggets game begins and ends with the giant of Sombor. Denver is 85-20 in games ending with Jokic’s triple 10, including 26-3 last season. This is by far the best result among all those who have accumulated more than 100 triple doubles. In these playoffs the argument was even more forceful: 9-1, including the supreme performance of 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final against the Lakers and that of 32, 21 and 10 which was seconded by one by Jamal Murray (34-10-10) for the only time two players from the same team have achieved it in one game. (hiram martinez)
3- True or false: Will Nikola have more pressure to repeat the championship?
TRUE. While the starting five that managed to win Denver’s first championship in its entire history remains intact, defending the title is not going to be an easy task for Nikola Jokic and his Nuggets. It is that to reach the promised land, it takes much more than a powerful starting lineup.
In the finals against Miami, the Nuggets found answers on their bench that allowed them to measure the wear and tear of Jokic and Murray. Players like Bruce Brown (12.0 point averages, 56.2% shooting in 26.5 minutes), Jeff Green (4.1 points in 17.2 minutes) and Christian Braun (3.2 points in 13.0 minutes per game) gave the team a breath of fresh air. when they were needed and their impact went beyond what the statistics say.
Today, both Brown and Green are not on the roster and their replacements are players with little experience in the NBA. That is why it is predictable that Jokic will have more pressure to try to defend what he has achieved. Although the 28-year-old Serb looks more dominant than ever, one wonders if he can lead his Nuggets to the top only with the unwavering support of Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, albeit without a trustworthy bank.
It is true that there is still time to try to improve the payroll until the competition starts. Although as it is, there is a feeling that Denver has lost valuable pieces, while several rivals have managed to strengthen themselves.
That’s why one expects Jokic to face a steeper mountain than last season and that the pressure to survive 82 regular-season games and four playoff series is greater than last season. (Marcelo Bousquet)
2023-07-19 13:19:00
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