Beijing time today (28th), the NBA playoffs continue. In the fifth game of the series between the Nuggets and the Warriors, Jokic scored 30 points, 19 rebounds and 8 assists, but was still powerless to prevent the team from losing 98-102 to the Warriors. After losing this game, the Nuggets lost 1-4 to the Warriors and were eliminated.
Jokic did his best to cut 30 points, 19 rebounds and 8 assists in game 5 of the series, but he couldn't help the team extend the series further.
Despite multiple interceptions on the Warriors side, he was still able to hit the ball again and again. Looking back on the breathless defensive look, I don't know how many people have been touched. After the series, the Warriors' players generally paid tribute to Jokic. In the past five games, Green, who has been in jokic for the longest time, said in an interview: "I found him after the game and thanked him for making me improve and making me better. It's an honor for me to play against a player like him who is so skilled, and I'm happy about it. Usually when a player has such talent and skill, they play softer, but Jokic is not soft at all. ”
In the final moments of game three of the series, Green successfully stole Jokic to help the Warriors get the series match points. But for the entire round, Jokic faced Green for a total of 142.2 rounds, and Jokic scored 69 points with a 50.9 percent shooting percentage. In five games, the Nuggets core averaged 31.0 points, 13.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, but his teammates did not give the Nuggets core enough support.
Last season, Jokic lifted the MVP trophy for the first time in his career. However, his team was swept by the Suns in the second round. This season, Jokic has a high probability of lifting the MVP trophy again, but the Nuggets have not even made the first round. Murray and Porter Jr.'s injuries have caused the Nuggets to falter this season. If they could play, the Nuggets' ending would probably not be so bleak. Statistics show that before Murray was injured last year, when Jokic, Murray and Porter Jr. played together, the Nuggets could score 123.9 points per 100 rounds, which was the most offensively efficient pair of 154 trios that played more than 600 minutes. With such a crazy offense, the Nuggets can beat their opponents by nearly 15 points in 784 minutes of 784 minutes played together with Jokic, Murray and Porter Jr.
However, Porter Jr. has only played nine games this season, with Murray missing an entire season due to injury. Barton, Morris, Green and others surround Jokic, obviously unable to play the same offensive efficiency as Murray and Porter Jr. were on the floor. Once the Nuggets can't match their opponents on the offensive end, their defensive shortcomings will be revealed. The series with the Warriors is the most direct. The Warriors' side of Curry, Poole and Thompson all have excellent shooting ability, and they will constantly look for blocks to face Jokic on the offensive end. Serbian centre forwards are good, but the only drawback is that their mobility is indeed limited. The Warriors grabbed this misalignment, and Jokic could only look at the ball again and again.
In this series, Curry scored 33 points against Jokic for 31.7 rounds. Poole played Jokic for 13.4 rounds, and a total of 17 points were credited. Thompson played Jokic for 15.8 rounds and scored more than 20 points. When these three play at the same time, the Warriors can shoot down 126.1 points per 100 rounds, and the effective shooting rate is a terrifying 63.4%.
Looking back on last season, the Suns also took advantage of Jokic's lack of mobility to eventually eliminate the Nuggets with a 4-0 aggregate score. Losing for two consecutive years for similar reasons means the Nuggets have to change. On the defensive end in particular, the Nuggets need a no. 4 player with better mobility and more defensive coverage to reduce jokic's pressure on the defensive end. Since Grant left, that position has been the Nuggets' weakest underbelly. Gordon's arrival can provide a good one-sided defense ability, but assisting is not his strong point, and Jokic will still be targeted in the playoffs.
However, there is not much room for change in this team. The injured man's healthy return seems to be the biggest reinforcement the Nuggets can expect. This summer, Jokic will most likely renew his contract with the Nuggets early and sign a big contract of more than $250 million for five years. Porter Jr.'s new contract will also take effect next season. As a result, the Nuggets will become the fourth team in the league besides the Lakers, Nets, and Warriors to have three top-paid players. With the guarantee contract alone and this year's first round of rookies, the Nuggets' payroll has already exceeded the luxury tax line. At the time of this summer's reinforcement, they only have a 6.4 million mini-middle class to offer. If the Nuggets take advantage of this exception, the boss will also have to pay a luxury tax of 14 million.
From this point of view, the Nuggets have a sense of a long way ahead. However, this situation is not surprising. As early as the time when the Nuggets signed a contract with Porter Jr., many people were not optimistic about the Operation of the Nuggets at that time. Now that Porter Jr.'s new contract is about to take effect, the Nuggets' operating space is getting smaller and smaller. Fortunately, international players are generally reluctant to leave the team they have played for many years, and Jokic has also stated that he has no idea of leaving the Nuggets. But once, in the days to come, similar plots are repeated over and over again in Jokic, no one can guarantee that the ideas of Serbia's internal line will not change.
Especially after the high probability of lifting the MVP trophy twice, Jokic's desire for the championship will be further enhanced. But in terms of the overall strength of the Nuggets today, there is still a lot of distance between them and the championship.
Wen | Ji Mengnian
Edit | Peppery Soup