By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
A blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder ended the 2024-25 season of the Denver Nuggets.
Uncertainties about the 2025-26 campaign include possibly promoting David Adelman to a permanent head coach position. Besides his support to the 44-year tactician, Nikola Jokic also discussed necessary roster adjustments.
“It’s hard for the guys to step up, especially in the Playoffs against two really good teams, the Clippers and OKC. We can’t ask from anybody that played 20 or 30 games to jump in and expect him to be good,” said the native of Sombor, Serbia, “It definitely seems like the teams that have longer rotations, longer bench, they are the teams that are winning: Indiana, OKC, Minnesota,”
During a postgame press conference, following a season-ending losing effort in Paycom Center on NBA Sundays, Jokic and Jamal Murray also went into winning a second NBA championship together.
“100%,” the 28-year-old Canadian guard was optimistic about the Nuggets‘ future, “We just came up short tonight. We’ll get back in the gym and get back to it for next year.”
“I mean, we didn’t. So obviously we can’t. If we could, we would win it, so I don’t believe in those ‘ifs.’ We had an opportunity, we didn’t win it, so I think we can’t,” the Joker answered a similar question.
Murray’s contract is guaranteed until the end of the 2028-29 season, while Jokic’s lasts until the end of the 2026-27 season and has a player option for the 2027-28 season.