The Nuggets are wasting Nikola Jokić's prime, and they're running out of time to fix it

The Clock Is Ticking: Denver Risks Wasting Nikola Jokić's Greatness*

When it comes to building around superstars in the NBA, history has shown us what *not* to do. Look at Damian Lillard in Portland, Anthony Davis in New Orleans, or even LeBron James in his first Cleveland stint—frustrated stars eventually leave when their teams fail to provide adequate help. But at least those teams had *something*: All-Star teammates, All-Defense selections, or standout coaches and executives.

Nikola Jokić? A decade into his Denver Nuggets career, he’s had none of that. No All-Star teammates. No All-NBA or All-Defensive selections beside him. No Coach or Executive of the Year awards within the organization. His most decorated teammates have earned only All-Rookie nods—never First Team. And now, head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth are both out.

The Nuggets have relied heavily on Jokić’s brilliance, assuming his laid-back demeanor means he won’t follow the trend of superstars forcing trades. But assuming his loyalty is permanent would be a mistake. Even champions like Giannis have expressed dissatisfaction. And if Jokić, a likely top-10 player in NBA history, ever becomes frustrated enough to walk away, no one should be surprised.

Despite a title in 2023, the Western Conference is growing younger and stronger. The Thunder are rising, San Antonio is coming, and Luka Dončić is loading up in L.A. Jokić can’t do it all forever. The idea that his sheer talent alone is enough to win championships is fading fast.

Some credit the Nuggets for fitting Jokić with role players he can elevate—Aaron Gordon being the most often cited. But the reality might be that Jokić is simply that good. He made Westbrook work in ways LeBron couldn’t. That’s more a testament to Jokić than to Denver’s front office. If Jokić is a miracle worker, it only highlights how poorly the rest of the roster is constructed.

Denver is on pace to win about 50 games this season—roughly the same total as in 2022, when both Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. were barely available. That’s despite Jokić having one of the best statistical seasons of his career. The drop-off is due to the team around him.

The bench is the biggest liability. When Jokić sits, the Nuggets are nearly 19 points worse per 100 possessions. Calvin Booth’s efforts to fix this have mostly failed. Reggie Jackson and Dario Šarić were underwhelming signings, young draft picks have shown little promise, and the once-trusted Christian Braun has replaced Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the starting lineup—but no one has replaced Braun off the bench.

Even the starters struggle without Jokić. Over multiple seasons, Denver’s top lineups fall apart when he’s off the floor. Jamal Murray, despite his max contract, has *never* led a positive lineup without Jokić. Porter, also on a max deal, hasn’t shown he can carry more of the offensive load either. And Gordon, about to enter a three-year extension near $35 million per year, doesn’t project as an asset unless flanked by an elite playmaker like Jokić.

The Nuggets are also boxed in financially. With so much money tied up in the core, they can’t add impact players via free agency and have just one tradable first-round pick left—in 2031. Trades aren’t a silver bullet either, because all of Denver’s core pieces are more valuable *to them* than they’d be to other teams.

On top of that, Denver has repeatedly lost high-level executives to better-paying jobs elsewhere, from Masai Ujiri to Tim Connelly. It’s hard to imagine ownership shelling out for someone like Bob Myers to clean up this mess.

Now the team faces a stark reality. Jokić is 30. His prime years are finite. He’s under contract through 2026–27, with a player option for 2027–28, and could end up being the only three-time MVP in league history never to play with another Hall of Famer in his prime.

And despite all that, the team around him is slipping.

Denver might still believe it can fix this, but time is not on their side. Without a smart front-office overhaul and meaningful roster moves, Jokić’s prime could be remembered not as the golden age of Nuggets basketball, but as one of the greatest missed opportunities the league has ever seen.