The Nuggets are out. Earlier than anyone expected. Now comes the hard part.
Denver has to figure out what this looks like beyond Nikola Jokic. That’s been the question for a while. It just got louder after this series.
Jokic, a three-time MVP, never hit 30 in a single game. First time in his playoff career. Meanwhile, the help never really showed up.
As Bennett Durando of the Denver Post noted, the offseason additions didn’t give Denver the offensive lift it needed. The numbers back it up. The Nuggets shot just 32.1 percent on wide-open threes. Bruce Brown finished the series against the Timberwolves with nine turnovers and 10 assists. Not nearly enough juice.
Coach David Adelman basically said it’s back to the drawing board.
“I think you have to look at the different formulas of how we played this year, what was most successful,” Adelman said. “Then break it down into the types of teams we struggled with and what the answers are.”
Translation. This isn’t a quick fix.
More could be coming. According to Vinny Benedetto of the Denver Gazette, even Jamal Murray could enter the conversation. That’s not something you heard much before.
Now you are.
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