Michael Malone showed off his humor during the Nuggets‘ post-game press conference. Speaking after the Nuggets 122-120 win over the Mavericks, Malone was asked about apologizing to Nikola Jokic for playing him so much. Malone responded by joking about how much Nikola Jokic is getting paid, pointing to his $51 million salary.
“You see his paycheck? Come on, man. No, actually, after the last game, he was in the training room. I went in there just to talk to him… He understands and he’s a warrior.”
“I will say this this. I don’t know how sustainable it is to play Nikola 38 to 40 minutes every night. Let’s be honest, we’re 10 games in, I think we’re 7-1 in our last 8, that is great. But we’ve also got to find ways to continue, find some other options off of our bench.”
Nikola Jokic has been averaging 38.1 minutes a game this season, almost seven minutes than his career average of 31.3 minutes per game. Even last season, Jokic didn’t average more than 34.6 minutes per game. It would not be surprising if Jokic’s minutes were to be reduced later in the season.
Despite playing big minutes, Jokic has been putting up monster numbers. So far this season, Jokic is averaging 29.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, 11.7 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game, while shooting 56.3% from the field, 56.4% from beyond the arc, and 84.3% from the free-throw line.
With the numbers that he has put up this season, Jokic is currently on track to eclipse the career bests of Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, and Chris Paul respectively. If he keeps this pace up, it would be hard to deny him his fourth MVP award.
Jokic Helping Nuggets Regain Championship Form?
After what was a shaky start to the season, the Denver Nuggets seem to have found their stride. As Malone pointed out, the Nuggets are currently 7-1 in their last 8 games and have been able to get back to their best. And a large portion of the credit must go to the reigning MVP, Nikola Jokic.
The Nuggets seemed to have lost their spark after the departure of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency. But they have been able to overcome this loss to establish themselves as one of the best teams in the NBA. They currently have a record of 7-3, and sit fourth in the Western Conference.
For now, Malone and the Nuggets will turn their focus to the NBA Cup, as they begin their campaign tonight against the New Orleans Pelicans at 8 PM EST. But they will have to do so without Nikola Jokic, who is listed as out for personal reasons.
In the long run, the Nuggets should absolutely be in the conversation of potential NBA champions, especially given how recently they won the NBA championship. With a large part of their roster has stayed the same since then, barring the departures of Bruce Brown and Caldwell-Pope.
The Nuggets must contend with what is a much tougher Western Conference, with the Thunder, Suns, and Warriors playing amazing basketball, and teams behind them like the Lakers and Grizzlies also attempting to climb the ladder and get some important wins.
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