Unfortunately, the Denver Nuggets suffered another second-round exit this season, making it two in a row. Nikola Jokic remains a monster, and the connection is still there, but the team no longer strikes fear the way it did during their title run.
This season, Denver parted ways with their head coach and entered the playoffs under an acting replacement who didn’t have enough games to build momentum. On top of that, trade rumors lingered throughout the year. Given those circumstances, it’s fair to cut them some slack this time, but next season won’t come with the same excuses.
With Denver looking to maximize Jokic’s prime and the league growing more competitive, changes seem inevitable. Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce believes one of them should be trading Michael Porter Jr. to the Sacramento Kings for DeMar DeRozan. Per SacBee:
“I feel like if they had a DeMar DeRozan with that team right now, with Joker, he don’t need to be the best player or the second-best player every night. He is going to give you more than what Michael Porter Jr. gave you.”
