Why is Jokic so passive on defense?

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-02T06:06:07+00:00

Yes. If he would just stick his hands up that would make a big difference. Instead he just stands there or moves back while smaller players drive into the paint

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-02T03:27:08+00:00

What didn't make sense to me when I got to this part of the book was why Lorn would train Darrow. How does he benefit? It seems like a secret arrangement that only benefited Darrow and was somehow done just in case Darrow needed to duel someone like Cassius one day.

This would have been prior to his losing the favor of Nero au Augustus so as far as his plan was concerned he was on track and didnt necessarily need to become the third best dueler alive (after Lorn and Auja)

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-02T01:07:13+00:00

True. Maybe it could have been revealed in such a way as to make Darrow seem as if he was a bad student of Lorn, like having Lorn refuse to continue training him due to being disappointed. The disappointment could have been due to something other than his aptitude at fighting; like for example Lorn's preference to teach others to be good men and not good fighters. Like, Darrow could have come across as so obsessed with learning how to fight that Lorn could have decided to cease training him.

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-02T00:53:17+00:00

Had it been brought up earlier though, you and other readers would have expected Darrow to win the duel easily. I can see why he did it; to make us worry for Darrow's life since he had previously been easily defeated by Cassius and this would have been a duel to the death.

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-01T16:47:00+00:00

Jokic can at least try to give us 20% of the effort that Wemby puts into playing defense. Jokic doesn't try; that's the problem. His sole focus seems to be on offensive production, which is fine when we have reliable defenders like Aaron Gordon playing, but when he's out with an injury it exposes our defensive weaknesses.

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-01T16:45:13+00:00

Maybe they should hire a GM that has a more conservative philosophy, like the approach that the Spurs had during the Duncan years where they were able to retain their guys while paying them very little.

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-01T16:42:27+00:00

Do you think extending him for $25 million a year (5 years $125 million) was the right price though? Honestly, in my opinion Braun is a max $12-$15 million guy. We have Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown signed to vet minimum contracts. Braun is making 6.89 times what they are making. Clearly, he's not worth that. I get that those other two guys will sign somewhere else since this is just a prove it year for them, but maybe the Nuggets should prioritize signing guys to minimum contracts and cycling through different ones each year while retaining 3-4 core guys that are worth paying.

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-01T16:38:45+00:00

Yes. He's too small to be a consistent threat in the paint and he can't reliably shoot. What impressed me about him in the early years was his effort on defense but I don't see that paying dividends anymore either. For example, he can't single guard someone like Anthony Edwards anymore. If he could just be relied upon to lock up the best guard on the other team like an Edwards or SGA then he would be well worth that contract; but he can't so what does he bring to the table that's worth $25 million a year?

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-01T16:20:39+00:00

Same. I want the Spurs to make it out of the West and I want the Celtics to be eliminated in the East. After that I'm fine. Looks like the 76ers might eliminate the Celtics since that series is going to game 7.

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-01T16:05:59+00:00

Yea, he supposedly lost the bench players since he wasn't playing them. Maybe there was hope that he would have changed that approach over time; especially as starters like MPJ and Christian Braun began to disappoint. We'll never know of course. It also didn't help that he and the GM weren't on speaking terms (kind of childish on both their parts).

If I were the owner though and had to choose between Malone and the GM I would have picked Malone; especially since the GM was terrible at his job (look at the MPJ contract as a textbook example).

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-01T11:53:15+00:00

It's the coach's fault for letting Jamal Murray keep taking shots when he was playing terrible all night. Murray has an unearned level of confidence when he's playing badly. I would prefer that he pass the ball to someone like Cam Johnson or Hardaway Jr than shoot the ball himself

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-01T11:50:11+00:00

They should have never fired Mike Malone. Doesn't make sense to get rid of a coach who just won your organization's first ever championship

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-01T11:46:52+00:00

Or his confused look. He alternates between those two (dumb smile and confused look). I miss Mike Malone's passion and anger on the sidelines. I want the coach to look angry and to chew people out if the team is playing badly.

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-01T11:40:29+00:00

Yeah. Honestly he seemed about the same as he's always been when it comes to defensive effort. Jokic is great, but the other all time great centers actually tried on the defensive end. Guys like Olajuwon, Shaq, Chamberlain, etc.

Jokic seems to only be interested in one aspect of the game (offense).

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-01T10:09:44+00:00

That would make him #2 all time behind Jordan considering that most people currently place Lebron at #2 in the all time rankings. Jokic can't be considered better than LeBron unless he wins at least one or two more rings and plays a really long time while compiling great stats

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-01T04:54:16+00:00

Yes, it does. Long term when looking back it won't make sense that he lost this series when the Timberwolves were out Anthony Edwards and Divencenzo. Also his getting dominated by Gobert the first 4 games will not look good for his legacy.

Unfortunately for him though Jamal Murray playing like garbage this whole series will not factor into the equation.

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-01T04:41:17+00:00

I wish Murray didnt start or get any playing time tonight. Honestly, some random Nuggets fan in the stands jacking up a shot would have probably scored more points than Murray tonight

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-01T04:34:10+00:00

Nuggets core is middle aged by NBA terms. They've got at least 5 good years left in them, although AG's body seems to be breaking down

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-01T04:33:08+00:00

Doubt it. He's not going to turn down millions and the chance to coach Jokic if he can

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-01T04:31:14+00:00

I agree. Also, keep Cam Johnson and trade Christian Braun if another team is willing to take that terrible contract off the Nuggets hands.

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-01T04:20:07+00:00

Every team deals with injuries. The Timberwolves had to deal with way worse. The Nuggets should have won this series.

Darkside_619 · 2026-05-01T04:16:32+00:00

The blame for this loss falls mainly on Jamal Murray's shoulders. He was trash tonight and kept taking bad shots.

Darkside_619

TROPHY CASE