After taking an awkward fall versus 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 closely 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 keep their season rolling without their heart and soul. Denver is currently 22-10, just one game out of the two seed and only three games out of the play-in. I’m not too worried about the Nuggets falling all the way out of the play-in, as they are still stronger than Utah or Dallas even without Jokic; however, missing out on the extra play-in games would be massive for a player who gets beat up as much as Jokic does.
Without the Joker, who on the Nuggets can step up and carry this team for the next month? Jamal Murray is a good starting point. Murray has never made an All-Star game, but with career highs in points, efficiency, assists, and rebounds, he will finally get a well-deserved nod. But outside of Murray, who else can they lean on?
Tim Hardaway Jr. has had a bit of a bounce-back season, having the most efficient three-point shooting season of his career. Will he continue that hot shooting without Jokic? I’m not so sure, but someone will need to step up with the laundry list of injuries for the Nuggets.
Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson, and Christian Braun are all banged up at the moment, so they will need some depth pieces to step up for the next month. Bruce Brown has looked a little better since returning to Denver, and he will have to provide some sort of offense for the Nuggets’ bench. Peyton Watson has also seen the most usage since coming into the league, and he’s been a guy who’s really impressed me with the added minutes he’s seen this season. He’s added a fairly efficient three-pointer to his arsenal, and I think his ability to stretch the floor will be so much more critical in the coming month.
The Nuggets made value-added moves this offseason by trading Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson, but he has struggled, even when healthy, to mesh with Denver. Denver could add a few pieces before the trade deadline, specifically a three-and-d wing. Herb Jones feels like a perfect fit for the Nuggets, which shouldn’t be too expensive for them as well. No matter what, something might need to change for the Nuggets to keep pace with the elite teams in the West.
