The Denver Nuggets had high expectations coming into the season. They have a young and talented backcourt with Garry Harris Jr. and Jamal Murray, they drafted Michael Porter Jr. and they re-signed some key pieces. One of those key pieces re-signed this offseason was Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets and the talented big man agreed to a five-year, $147.7 million deal to keep him in the Mile High City.

With that type of commitment, you would expect some monster numbers from Jokic. Instead, the Nuggets are getting a big man that is averaging 15.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 7.4 assists. Those numbers are very good and he should be proud of being able to put up assist numbers like he has so far in his career. What he should not be proud of, however, is the amount of points he is putting up.

Over his career, Jokic has not been the type of player that forced the action. Instead of forcing the action, he likes to be a distributor. The perfect example of his passing skills was shown on November 3rd in a 103-88 win over the Boston Celtics. Jokic had 16 assists in that game and was a magician with the basketball, magically getting his teammates I the right positions to score the basketball.

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While he may love being a point-center, he should be able to do more. Too many times he has had less than ten shots. No offense to anyone else on that team, but everything ought to run through Jokic. While it seems good to run everything through Jokic, what isn't good is the amount of shot attempts he has gotten recently. The last four games he has not really been a factor scoring on the offensive end, even going as far as only attempting one basket the entire season. The Nuggets went 3-1 in those games, but that was Fool's Gold when it comes to this team and Nokic. He should be more aggressive.

By applying more pressure and being more assertive offensively, Jokic actually helps his team more. The more attention he draws, the more open shots his team can get. One thing that can help him get more aggressive is Nuggets head coach Michael Malone will need to get him more in positions to score. Jokic can do some things in the post, but he gets lost on the perimeter sometimes and avoids the post, which is not good.

Malone could bring a guard from the baseline to set a pick to help Jokic get down in the post. That would give him an distinct advantage in the post with momentum going towards the block. And if teams do switch this combination, Jokic is even further at an advantage with the smaller guy trying to guard him in the post.

Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
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Along with setting up Nikola Jokic to be more aggressive, the talented big man himself has to change how he thinks the game a little. Everyone has become quite accustomed to him passing the basketball. This team needs him to be ultra-aggressive though. Just like how coach Malone could make things a little easier for himself, so can Jokic. To be one of the most talented big men in the NBA, he surely does not play like it all the time.

He needs to realize the assists will come over the course of a game, but the points and opportunities to get them will be there regardless. The more he is able to change that mindset, the more we will see him dominate like it everyone believes he will and can.

The Nuggets are at the top of the NBA's Western Conference, but for them to stay there, Jokic needs to be more of an offensive force. The game is there, the confidence is there, but the mindset isn't. There should be no way a center this talented is averaging shooting it less than five times a game in a four-game stretch.

We will see if he is content with these numbers and the way things are going now in the next couple of weeks for Denver, but for Nikola Jokic, he needs to make that switch now. His team will thank him later for it, especially if they are in the playoffs trying to make a run at a title.