After suffering an awkward fall against the Miami Heat, Nuggets fans were on the edge of their seats, waiting to see how much time Nikola Jokic would miss due to his injury. After losing a hotly contested MVP race to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander last season, Jokic had somehow taken his game to another level, averaging 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 11 assists.
This injury could hamper Jokic’s MVP chances, but more importantly, the Nuggets need to find a way to continue their season without their heart and soul. Denver is currently 22-10, just one game out of the top two seeds and just three games out of play-in. I’m not too worried about the Nuggets falling out of play-in, as they are still stronger than Utah or Dallas even without Jokic; However, missing the extra games would be huge for a player who gets beat as much as Jokic.
Without the Joker, who among the Nuggets can step up and carry this team for the next month? Jamal Murray is a good place to start. Murray has never appeared in an All-Star Game, but with career highs in points, efficiency, assists and rebounds, he will finally get a much-deserved nod. But besides Murray, who else can they rely on?
Tim Hardaway Jr. had a bounce-back season, making the most efficient three-point shooting season of his career. Will he continue this hot shoot without Jokic? I’m not so sure, but someone will have to step up on the Nuggets’ injury list.
Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson and Christian Braun are all struggling right now, so they’ll need some depth pieces to step up next month. Bruce Brown has looked a little better since returning to Denver, and he will need to provide some sort of offense for the Nuggets bench. Peyton Watson has also been the most used player since coming into the league, and he’s a guy who has really impressed me with the extra minutes he’s seen this season. He’s added a pretty effective three-point shot to his arsenal, and I think his ability to stretch the court will be much more critical in the coming month.
The Nuggets made some value-add moves this offseason by trading Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson, but he struggled, even when healthy, to fit in in Denver. Denver could add a few pieces before the trade deadline, including a three-and-d wing. Herb Jones seems like a perfect fit for the Nuggets, who shouldn’t be too expensive for them either. Either way, something may have to change for the Nuggets to keep pace with the West’s elite teams.
