You have to see his face when appear in front of the press and his nonchalance in holding the microphone for the next few minutes. Nikola Jokic and “media day” is the crazy love story… “ Every year it's the same thing, I don't know why we do this every year. Everything is the same. It's completely the same thing. »
Blasé the Nuggets pivot? Not exactly. “ Just because I'm not smiling and laughing and whatever else doesn't mean I'm not enthusiastic. I can't wait to see what we can do », Corrects the Serb.
On the question of what the Nuggets can do, Jamal Murray took it upon himself to provide a reminder to his teammates in the locker room. “ He said: 'We have a window for the title, that's not the case for all teams. What do we do with it? We enjoy it, or we look back in twenty years and regret it. », Reports their coach Mike Malone.
Convert an opportunity
A way for the Canadian playmaker to remind us that the 2023 NBA champions would be wrong to deprive themselves of getting a new ring. Because the framework for 2023 is still in place.
“ Young people, as they get older, will see us (battle) to win in this league. It's difficult for managers to create a team like this that is so talented and gets along so well off the field. So I said we had to enjoy the moment. We have a chance to do great things, let's take advantage of it », Develops Jamal Murray.
The presence of Nikola Jokic within the squad has a lot to do with this speech. The bronze medalist with Serbia at the Paris Olympics is getting closer to 30 years old. Which should leave the Nuggets with many more years to fight at the top of the West.
The size of this “window” for the title? “ In the best case “, according to GM Calvin Booth, the Serb had a period of ” ten years » to be competitive.
“ I think we're about halfway there. So we probably have five similar opportunities left and each one counts. If we convert one, that's great. The sooner we do this, the more we can discuss other things, but it will be incredibly difficult to win another one », Judges the leader.
Aaron Gordon wants to go high for Nikola Jokic
Especially when we know that the Nuggets lost one of their executives, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, attracted by Magic dollars, a year after a similar scenario with Bruce Brown and the Pacers. An offseason which could have generated tensions between the team coach and the decision-makers. “ Calvin and I shouldn't always agree. If that were the case, we wouldn't really accomplish what we need to accomplish. », indirectly confirms the technician.
The latter, a few months after the defeat in the second round of the playoffs against the Wolves, does not think he will have too much difficulty remobilizing his training. “ After a season where everyone says you failed, it's my job to make sure we don't read all this bullshit. We are a good team. In the last six years, no one in the West has managed to do what we have done. »
The whole challenge is to know if the Nuggets still have enough under the hood to take advantage of the level of Nikola Jokic and aim for a new title. Aaron Gordon seems to have understood this well: “ Nikola Jokic will probably go down as one of the best players of all time. I give it my all, I push myself hard to optimize his time in the NBA. »
