MEMPHIS — For at least 20 minutes on Tuesday afternoon, Nuggets coach Michael Malone sat with his arm around franchise superstar Nikola Jokic, connecting on a level that cut much deeper than basketball.
The intimacy of the conversation was obvious from afar. The substance was just as revealing.
The Nuggets were only hours removed from Monday’s frustrating loss to the Grizzlies, where they’d gotten bulldozed in the paint and bludgeoned on the glass. Jokic — with 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists — hadn’t had much help. The Nuggets’ abysmal 3-point shooting (9 for 38) continued Denver’s season-long drought. After Wednesday night’s loss here, their 30% 3-point efficiency ranked 28th in the NBA.
And, with a wildly inconsistent bench, not to mention starters who’d yet to find their groove, Malone needed to make sure his superstar wasn’t already overwhelmed.
The conversation drifted in and out of basketball, swaying between Jokic’s responsibilities as a new dad and his obligations as the team’s most reliable player. Malone was making sure Jokic knew he cared about him as a person, regardless of what he could do for him on the basketball court. It wasn’t the only such conversation Malone had with one of his guys that day.
“I feel for Nikola because reigning MVP, and so much is being asked of him every night,” Malone said. “I’m worried that he almost feels he has to play perfect. Not for us to win, for us just to have a chance. We all know that when I take Nikola out sometimes, itap kind of like, ‘All right, whatap about to happen?’
Michael Malone and Nikola Jokic tackling world affairs, no doubt.
— Mike Singer (@msinger)
“I don’t want him feeling that type of pressure where ‘I gotta be perfect every night,’ because no one is,” he continued. “Itap also my responsibility and everybody else’s responsibility to find ways to help him, to ease some of that burden thatap being placed on his shoulders. He hasn’t shied away from it. He’s not complaining. Itap me going to him.”
In addition to everything Jokic has been through the past three seasons — his MVP campaign, the condensed schedules, marriage and now a daughter — Malone was trying to empathize on something as basic as raising his voice. As badly as Jokic wants to help and encourage his teammates, he’s still speaking in a second language thatap still somewhat foreign to him.
A night after their heart-to-heart talk, Jokic was even more dominant. His 34 points and 11 rebounds Wednesday night nearly salvaged the road trip. Had his hand not gotten hit during the potential game-tying shot, who knows whether the Nuggets could’ve stolen an overtime victory?
Even with the miss, Jokic’s fourth quarter was sublime. His 13 points doubled his season average for fourth quarters — which already Among those ranked higher, including Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James, Jokic’s 74% field-goal percentage was far-and-away the best of the group.
After the game, despite Michael Porter Jr.’s ongoing shooting struggles or the second unitap toothless production, Jokic took responsibility for the loss.
“They look at me as a leader,” Jokic said. “I need to be much better. … Itap not them to blame. Itap me first and then everybody else. Itap not one guy. You cannot say bench. You cannot say starters, you cannot say coach. Itap all collectively. Probably itap me first then rest of the group.”
Malone’s intuition was correct. Jokic’s investment goes way beyond his raw production. Whether itap speaking in huddles or organizing a play in real time, his burden is mounting.
“I just worry about Nikola,” Malone said. “We’re only (eight) games in, and sometimes I look at him, and I feel he’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders. As a head coach, I want to try to take some of that off. He’s not Atlas, he’s Nikola.”
Even if it sometimes seems like it.
