Nikola Jokic wants the rest of the team to wake up. With the Denver Nuggets losing once again Saturday, this time at the hands of the New York Knicks, the superstar big man is now really alarmed.
The Nuggets are still at the top of the West with a 47-24 record, but they have won just once in their last six games–against a lowly Detroit Pistons squad that is tanking and without one of their best players in Cade Cunningham. Denver now has losses against the Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors and Knicks.
It's certainly more than just a slump for the Nuggets. For a team with title aspirations, they shouldn't be suffering such a major slide at this point of the campaign when title contenders are usually ramping up in preparation for the playoffs.
With that said, Jokic emphasized that he and the rest of the Nuggets need to play with more urgency.
“I mean, it is what it is. We need to be concerned,” Jokic said on his concern level amid their ugly run, per Denver Post.
The Nuggets are virtually secured of a playoff spot, but the big concern is they are well on track to be the next top seed eliminated by an eighth seed if they keep playing poorly. Defense is a major issue for the team, though their lack of offensive production behind Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray is also a problem that needs to be addressed.
Hopefully the team finds a solution sooner rather than later.