Nuggets Roundtable: Should Denver sit Nikola Jokic until the playoffs?

The Nuggets are one win or one Grizzlies loss away from clinching the No. 1 seed. Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic is still out with a calf injury. Should Denver sit him until the playoffs? Is the Peyton Watson breakout real? DNVR Nuggets crew sets the table for the final four games of the regular season?

Should Denver sit Nikola Jokic until the playoffs?

Adam Mares: Only if he needs it. If he’s healthy and able to play, I think he should play most or all of the remaining games. He doesn’t need to play heavy minutes. Perhaps a half in each game would do. But I am not a big fan of resting a player for three weeks before the playoffs unless that player has a real and legitimate injury that needs rest.

Harrison Wind: I’d be fine with it. The one game that you’d maybe want to see him in is against the Suns on Thursday on national TV, and that would be a fun dress rehearsal for a potential second-round playoff matchup. But Jokic and the Nuggets will have accomplished almost everything they had on their to-do list this season once they clinch the No. 1 seed. That will happen with another win, which they can get without Jokic, or a Grizzlies loss, which will happen. Sitting him until Game 1 assures he will be as healthy as possible entering the playoffs, which is really all that matters now. It wouldn’t be a good look for his MVP chances, but the Nuggets have moved past that. Jokic did a while ago. The playoffs are really the only thing that matters now. I think Jokic can flip the switch if he doesn’t play until then.

Brendan Vogt: I’m not concerned about the injury. Whatever Jokić wants to do works for me. Malone’s previously talked about Jokić being a creature of habit and rhythm like many are in the NBA. He may prefer to play some more games before the season ends. Either way, they’ve bought themselves just enough room to wait and see how Memphis does before deciding when they go for one last win. Jokić’s decreased workload is an underrated aspect of the season. While everything goes through him as ever, it’s a marked difference from the MVP seasons. His rest and health seem of minimal concern heading into the first round.

How much are you buying into Peyton Watson?

Mares: I really like his upside. I’ve learned with prospects that talent is only a part of the equation. Work ethic and opportunity are going to play a major part in the long term development of Watson. In that way, right now he reminds me of Jarred Vanderbilt, another interesting prospect that spent most of his rookie season in Denver on the bench and working out behind closed doors. Like Watson, Vando flashed in his first actual game minutes and Nuggets fans started dreaming about his short-term and long-term fit in Denver. Watson fills a more immediate position of need and certainly appears to be a larger part of Denver’s future than Vando proved to be. But Vando is a good player who had talent and work ethic but not opportunity in Denver. Hopefully Watson is different.

Wind: Probably too much after just two games, but I’m buying him as a rotation player off the bench next season. That was the best-case track for Watson when Denver drafted him last year. He might even be a little ahead of schedule. Watson looks like a real shot-blocker, something the Nuggets have never had in the Nikola Jokic era. The best true shot-blocker that’s played with Jokic? Bol Bol? Watson has intangibles that will work great alongside the Nuggets’ core pieces long-term. Maybe he can have a moment or two in the playoffs, but I don’t think we’ll be seeing him a ton this postseason.

Vogt: The interest is piqued. It’s a small sample size to draw meaningful conclusions from beyond that. Still, his calling card is defense, and he flashed the potential that caught Calvin Booth’s eye in the first place. I’m considerably more excited about the pick than I was a week ago. I don’t expect him to crack the playoff rotation, but he’s earned an early audition next season.

How significant is it that the Nuggets will be the No. 1 seed in the West?

Mares: For starters, it’s never happened for the Denver Nuggets. 46 years in the NBA but never once has the team finished 1st in the division. But perhaps the most exciting consequence of earning home court advantage in the West is that the playoffs are when new fans jump on board the bandwagon. A good playoff memory inside of Ball Arena will create lifelong fans. With the 1-seed, the Nuggets should look forward to a lot of those moments, and a lot of new fans falling deeper in love with this team.

Wind: It’s a real accomplishment to celebrate when it happens, but it’s only going to be looked back fondly on if the Nuggets make a real run this postseason. It’s been under-reported how convincing of a season this was for Denver. The Nuggets have been in first place in the West since Dec. 20. That’s 3+ months. They’ve been the best, most stable, and maybe the only consistent team in the conference all season. And I think the Nuggets have their continuity and healthy to thank. Denver has stayed healthier than most this year, and the Nuggets’ starting five has been on the court for 682 minutes this season. That’s the third-most minutes that any five-man lineup has played. They’re of course dominant in those minutes.

Vogt: The impact of home-court advantage in an average series is an interesting debate, but we have the full context of Denver’s season. We see the home/away splits, and we’ve watched this team closely all year. It matters that the Denver Nuggets are the one seed. They’re an elite team inside Ball Arena. Now, it’s time to take advantage of the position. It’s time to take the last step.