Jokic on early playoff exit: Nuggets ‘far’ from title competition

MINNEAPOLIS — Within the disappointing aftermath of a shocking first-round playoff exit, Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic made clear that his long-term view of a one franchise NBA profession stays unchanged.

“I nonetheless wish to be a Nugget eternally,” Jokic mentioned.

Jokic, 31, has two years and $121.9 million remaining on his contract, however the second season is a participant choice, which means Jokic is beneath staff management solely via subsequent season, sometimes producing a stage of unease round an NBA megastar.

However Jokic will likely be extension eligible this summer season for as much as 4 years and round $278 million, giving the franchise and its mid-prime cornerstone an opportunity to pledge a long-term recommitment to one another. Jokic was requested about his plan to signal it and repeated, “I nonetheless wish to be a Nugget eternally.”

However that does not imply Jokic enters the offseason in a shiny temper. His Nuggets gained 54 video games within the common season, entered the playoffs thought-about life like title contenders and as a substitute misplaced 4-2 within the first spherical to a Minnesota Timberwolves staff that did not have star Anthony Edwards for the ultimate two video games of the sequence.

“We simply misplaced within the first spherical,” Jokic mentioned. “I believe we’re distant [from title contention].”

Jokic led the Nuggets to a title in 2023 and is aware of what is critical to be at a championship stage. Does he consider modifications are wanted?

“That is not my choice, to be trustworthy,” Jokic mentioned. “Positively, if we had been in Serbia, we might all get fired.”

This was arguably the worst playoff sequence of Jokic’s profession. He had 28 factors, 10 assists and 9 rebounds within the 110-98 Recreation 6 elimination Thursday night time, however even some beefed-up stats late within the sequence did not absolutely masks an uncharacteristic begin to the set, which buried the Nuggets in a 3-1 gap.

Jokic made solely 39% of his photographs within the first 4 video games, a shocking conversion price for a future Corridor of Famer who has a profession 56% subject purpose price, as soon as shot 63% for a full season and, earlier than the Minnesota matchup, by no means made beneath 47% of his photographs in a playoff sequence.

“Rather a lot,” Jokic mentioned when requested how a lot blame he shoulders. “I wanted to play higher. I need to play higher. I believe I used to be getting within the rhythm from the third recreation, however I wanted to play significantly better.”

Jokic bought little assist from his co-star. Start line guard Jamal Murray had the perfect statistical common season as knowledgeable, averaging a career-best 25.4 factors. He made his first All-Star staff and is predicted to be named to an All-NBA staff for the primary time.

However Murray ran right into a matchup towards Jaden McDaniels within the first spherical, and Minnesota’s breakout two-way star bottled up Murray whereas Timberwolves heart Rudy Gobert clogged up the paint.

Murray made solely 46 of his 139 photographs (33%) within the sequence and missed 13 of his 17 photographs in Recreation 6, struggling to create separation towards McDaniels, who generated headlines after Minnesota’s Recreation 2 win when he individually referred to as Jokic, Murray and a number of other different Nuggets “unhealthy defenders.”

“Should you noticed the interviews, you understand all them had been excited to play us,” Murray mentioned. “They bought as much as play us. They loved enjoying us. Now we have to match that. Now we have to really feel the identical approach about them.”

Jokic and Murray mentioned they nonetheless consider their two-man recreation might be the guts of an elite-level offense regardless of the first-round struggles. Denver had an NBA-best 121.2 offensive score within the common season.

Assuming Jokic and Murray stay, the concentration is going to flip to different facets of the franchise and roster, starting with David Adelman, who simply completed his first full season as head coach after taking on for the fired Mike Malone proper earlier than the 2025 playoffs.

“It is not his fault we could not rebound,” Jokic mentioned of Adelman. “It is not his fault we could not catch the ball very properly. There’s nothing responsible David Adelman. It is all us.”

Final Could, the Nuggets had been eradicated by the eventual champions, the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, in seven video games, sending them to the summer season in a bit extra optimistic tone.

This April, they only misplaced to a short-handed Timberwolves staff that did not have Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo or Ayo Dosunmu by the point the sequence closed.

However Denver had its share of harm excuses. Rising wing Peyton Watson missed your entire sequence due to a hamstring pressure suffered on April 1. He will likely be a restricted free agent in July.

Beginning wing Aaron Gordon additionally missed a piece of the sequence, struggling a calf harm in Recreation 2, lacking Video games 3, 5 and 6, whereas laboring via 23 minutes in Recreation 4, trying nothing like his regular self.

It is the second straight playoffs Gordon has been impacted by a comfortable tissue harm. He suffered a Grade 2 hamstring pressure late within the Thunder sequence final season and was restricted to solely 36 video games on this marketing campaign due to recurring hamstring accidents.

Gordon, a massively impactful participant for the Nuggets when wholesome, has three years and $103.6 million left on his present contract.

“They missed a bunch of men tonight and nonetheless gained,” Jokic mentioned. “Did we want them? Positively. But when they aren’t right here, we can not suppose if, if, if.”

The Nuggets did not get a ton of supplementary assistance on a constant foundation beneath Jokic, Murray and Gordon on the roster pecking order.

Cam Johnson, the prized offseason addition in a commerce for Michael Porter Jr., had a wonderful Recreation 6, ending with 27 factors in 39 minutes, however was quiet within the different two street losses within the sequence, ending with six and 9 factors, respectively. Christian Braun, whose five-year, $125 million extension kicks in subsequent season, had solely 50 whole factors in six video games.

“I do know it simply ended, however I do really feel like I can not actually provide you with a whole reply [on the bigger picture] as a result of it was an incomplete season,” Adelman mentioned, mentioning the accidents. “It felt like that all through. It felt like survival.”