The Thunder stole Game 4 in Denver and beat the Nuggets 92-87 in a gruelling matchup in the afternoon on Sunday to tie the series at 2-2. Nikola Jokic has come under the spotlight naturally due to the nature of this matchup. Not just the second round of the playoffs, but also a battle between the two frontrunners for the MVP award of the season. Unfortunately for Jokic, he’s having a series not worth remembering against his rival in the MVP race.
After the game, Charles Barkley went on his show “Inside the NBA” and gave his opinion on what went wrong for the Nuggets in this game. When Jalen Rose brought up that the Nuggets are using a short rotation in the series, Barkley pointed out how that has, in fact, given them a disadvantage in the series.
“I thought what the NBA did to them was unfair. Making them play late Friday night, then an early afternoon game, I thought that was unfair”, said Barkley. Then, when Kenny Smith brought up that both teams faced the same situation, Barkley pinpointed that the Nuggets don’t have the same depth as the OKC, so it’s more unfair to them.
“Denver has never addressed their backup center situation or their bench, I think that’s one of the things that hurt them last year. Because he (Jokic) gave out of gas last year against Rudy (Gobert) and Big KAT (Karl Anthony Towns). So I don’t think it’s fair to blame everything on the Joker, but he has not played well, and I think he’s wearing down”, he further added.
Addressing The Nuggets’ Need For A Backup Center
When the best player on your team is a center, it is hard for any team to find a high-caliber substitute in that position. Simply because no All-NBA level players will want to play second fiddle to the potential league MVP, Jokic. It is very hard to take away any minutes from him; therefore hard to imagine it as a lucrative spot for a high-caliber talent.
In the upcoming free agency in the summer, Barkley rightly pointed out that the Nuggets need to address their backup center situation, as even the potential league MVP is prone to having off-nights. Look at his struggles in this series vs. the OKC Thunder.
In the upcoming free agency, their current backup center, De’Andre Jordan, is set to become a free agent. Therefore, this is an imminent issue the Nuggets will need to address in the coming summer. Some potential options that the Nuggets can look at are: Clint Capela, Al Horford, or Steven Adams.
Al Horford seems to be best fitted for what the Nuggets may be looking for, as he is not a starting caliber player anymore but brings veteran experience on both ends of the floor for the Nuggets.
