Nikola Jokić delivered another MVP-standard season at the Denver Nuggets, but could not drag his team past the Oklahoma City Thunder in the postseason.
Almost averaging a 30-point triple-double in the NBA regular season, Jokić was only beaten to the MVP award by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who glided past the Serbian star in the playoffs with the Thunder.
The Nuggets have not managed to rekindle the magic of the 2023 Championship season, with consecutive conference semi-final defeats keeping Jokić out of the showpiece game.
Clearly, Jokić is not showing signs of slowing down, but can the Nuggets keep up with their franchise star? One Denver expert is beginning to doubt their capacity to.
Denver Nuggets expert urges Nikola Jokić to prioritise his ‘legacy’
The offseason promises to be frenetic in terms of trade rumours, but Jokić’s name hasn’t entered the rumour mill. In fact, Jokić has other issues to think about this summer, with his potential involvement for Serbia in the FIBA EuroBasket tournament still up in the air.
However, according to Mark Kiszla of the Denver Gazette, Jokić should be spending his offseason demanding significant commitments from Nuggets chairman Josh Kroenke.
Kiszla said: “When Jokić puts down that hard-earned beer, he needs to turn up the pressure on Kroenke. The path of least resistance for Jokić would be to grab a pen this summer and sign a $212 million contract extension. And he’s as loyal as a Serbian summer day is long.
“But the power play would be for Joker to politely decline that money now and wield a velvet hammer over the Nuggets with a reasonable demand to improve the roster, whether by trade, hook or crook.”
On improving the roster, Kroenke has suggested that the solution to many of the issues at the Nuggets can already be found among the current playing staff, leading to Kiszla adding:
“If that’s the best answer Kroenke can give to a plea for help from the NBA’s best player, Jokić should seriously consider forcing his way out of Denver to pursue a championship elsewhere.”
If Jokić is to stick with Kroenke in Denver, Kiszla has suggested that there is one condition that the Joker should be looking to demand to reflect his importance.
Nikola Jokić should demand more say in Denver Nuggets decisions
Jokić is the face of the Nuggets, but an equally quiet and humble character, something that Kiszla thinks should change if the two parties are to continue to coexist.
He continued: “Jokić was consulted before Kroenke shocked the NBA world by firing coach Michael Malone with three games remaining in the regular season. Kroenke would be a fool not to take input from Jokić and enlist his help in player recruitment going forward.
“In addition to leading Denver in points, rebounds and assists, Jokić should now take control of his career and exercise a bigger voice in personnel decisions. Although the Kroenke family owns the Nuggets, Jokić is the most powerful voice in the organisation.”
In terms of chasing Championship rings, the Nuggets risk becoming stagnant if Jokić isn’t supported, so it remains to be seen whether Kroenke risks resting on his laurels and losing the all-time NBA great.