Michael Singer: Malone ended his pregame press conference with a vehement defense of Nikola Jokic. Said he’s a young kid who made a mistake. “Get off his back”
Nikola Jokic Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: C
Born: 02/19/95
Height: 6-11 / 2.11
Weight:253 lbs. / 114.8 kg.
Salary: $25,467,250
Born: 02/19/95
Height: 6-11 / 2.11
Weight:253 lbs. / 114.8 kg.
Salary: $25,467,250
Harrison Wind: Transcript of Nikola Jokic’s media availability this morning following Nuggets shootaround – pic.twitter.com/mVYcm5fADL
Michael Singer: Will Barton was also adamant that Jokic isn’t in a “slump.”
The Nuggets can’t afford their superstar to be gun shy. The only shot Nikola Jokic took in Wednesday’s 89-87 loss at Memphis came with three seconds left and the Nuggets down two. He had passed on several open looks earlier in the game but with time winding down, Jokic was forced to try from 3-point range, a shot he missed. … “We have stuff, we get him the ball in spots,” forward Mason Plumlee said. “A lot of our offense is through him, so he has to take the initiative to take shots. We support that, we want that, and we don’t want him taking his first shot as the game-winning shot. It’s a great shot, I love the play call, but we gotta get him going earlier. He really sets the table, and the thing is he’s such a good passer, he’s always going to get other guys off. But we gotta get him involved offensively too.”
Jamal Murray, who was coming off his career-high 48 points against Boston on Monday night, scored 15 on 6 for 21 from the field, including several looks that nearly fell. He and Gary Harris (20 points on 6 for 16 shooting) took the shots that Jokic passed. “He’s gotta be aggressive, but he’s making plays for others, so it’s just a balance of how much you want him to pass, because he’s a great passer and how much do you want him to shoot,” Murray said of Jokic. “I think it’s just a balance.”
