With just three contests remaining on the schedule ahead of the San Antonio Spurs game, Denver Nuggets Head Coach Michael Malone said he was going to start Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic together. The goal is to see them on the floor together as much as possible in the final stretch of the season, according to Malone. This is music to a lot of Nuggets fans’ ears and the duo didn’t disappoint in their first real extended look together.
“I loved it,” said Michael Malone of his Twin Towers post game. “I thought it was a real good look. One thing about having them on the floor, they are both very skilled. They can both play away from the basket, with their back to the basket; very good passers, they make everybody around them better.
“Defensively, Nurk has a great presence and Nikola has length as well. I thought tonight, giving that a much longer look than we had prior to tonight, I was really encouraged by what I saw.”
Against the Spurs, Jokic was on the floor for 32:13 and Nurkic for 34:41; in the fourth quarter Jokic saw 8:45 and Nurkic 10:03 and the two were on the floor throughout crunch time in a tight game against the Spurs. San Antonio rested Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge and Danny Green, but they still had a formidable frontcourt.
Jusuf Nurkic scoring over Tim Duncan. Credit: Isaiah J. Downing, USA TODAY Sports.
“Yes, they were a depleted team, resting most of their key players,” said Michael Malone. “Even all the reserves that played with Tim Duncan — David West — they have played more playoff games combined than our whole team, easily.”
The 39-year-old Duncan has appeared in 241 career playoff games for the Spurs, while West has played in 73 post-season games for the Hornets and Pacers — the two will add to their totals together when the playoffs begin in a couple weeks. It was a good test for Nurkic and Jokic experience wise, even if they held the edge from a youth and athletic standpoint.
Nurkic carried the load offensively, finishing with a team-high 21 points (career-high) on 10-18 shooting, nine rebounds, two blocks, two steals and one assist. He scored 10 points in the fourth quarter on 5-8 shooting and helped seal a game that was an entertaining slugfest down the stretch.
“When we play the right way, when we compete and play defense we can win everything in the league,” said Nurkic before discussing how his game is progressing. “Generally like every other game, just feel more-and-more minutes and more touches.”
Nurkic is an emotional player that wants to feel wanted and needed; you could see him relishing in multiple moments during the game and after in his post-game media scrum. He liked being the go-to guy vs. the Spurs and feeds off being “the man.” The Nuggets need him and if this Spurs game was a sign of things to come, the rest of the league could be looking at a juggernaut in the Nuggets frontcourt. Did Nurkic enjoy sharing the floor with Jokic?
Nikola Jokic surverying the floor vs. Tim Duncan. Credit: Isaiah J. Downing, USA TODAY Sports.
“Of course, every time you play with high IQ players, it’s nice; understand each other on the court,” said Nurkic. “We know how to play basketball the right way.”
Jokic finished with eight points on 3-9 shooting (0-2 from deep), 15 rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block. He sacrificed his scoring potential a bit with Nurkic out there with him, but the two combined for 29 points and 24 rebounds and showed the potential for a dominant future together as they combined to be a +33 on the night (+24 for Jokic, +9 for Nurkic).
An even better test looms on Sunday as the Utah Jazz come to town with their own big lineup that features 7-foot-1 Rudy Gobert and 6-foot-10 Derrick Favors. Gobert and Favors have caused major issues for the Nuggets this season. Gobert is averaging 10 points, 10.5 rebounds and two blocks in two games vs. the Nuggets, while Favors is averaging 9.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and two blocks.
These final three games of seeing Jokic and Nurkic together will go a long way to what the Nuggets could be building upon next season. If Malone is able to play Jokic and Nurkic together, it could open up a plethora of options for the Nuggets — and perhaps the most important one being: finding a way to get their best players on the floor together.
Nurkic has shown he can transform the defense with his ability to roam the paint and not only block shots, but alter shots with his presence. Jokic’s vision and versatility on offense and his willingness to adapt to a player like Nurkic is also very special. While Nurkic is much bigger than Kenneth Faried from a physical standpoint, the two are not completely dissimilar for Jokic to adjust to. Both Faried and Nurkic like to play in the low-post and hover around the paint, but Nurkic has an ability to step out and not only hit jumpers, but be a facilitator too.
These last two games are going to be a lot of fun for those who have wanted to see Jokic and Nurkic out on the floor together.
Nikola Jokic, Jusuf Nurkic vs. Spurs
Emmanuel Mudiay runs the double-pick-and-roll with Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic that results in the Nurk jumper.
Nurkic strips Tim Duncan, feeds Mudiay for the fastbreak.
Nurkic stays with the driving Duncan and swats him at the rim.
The Nuggets could be a dominant offensive rebounding team with Nurkic and Jokic, shades of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum and some of that Lakers big dominance?
A look at Nurkic in the high-post as Jokic runs the pick-and-roll here with Will Barton. A nice find by Barton inside to Jokic (patience on the pass) and a pretty finish by Jokic.
Again, Nurkic in the high-post and Jokic roaming near the paint. Juka shows off his jumper here.
A creative play here as Jokic is out above the 3-point line and David West has to respect his shot and leaves just enough room for Jokic to feed Nurkic in the post for the hook shot over Duncan.
A lot of movement and ball movement here as Nurkic shows off his passing and Jokic shows off his range with the pretty mid-range jumper.
The Nuggets also can take advantage of the “gravity” of the Twin Towers as the defense gets sucked inside on Nurkic’s cut and Jokic finds JaKarr Sampson for the corner three.
Jokic’s defense shouldn’t be underrated. Here is picks up a loose ball and jets away from the pack and gets the hockey-assist on the JaKarr Sampson slam.
Nurkic is also learning a key part to the post-game, create contact with your defender to take his legs away thus negating a block attempt and getting the good offensive look.
We can all sit back in upcoming games against the Jazz and Blazers and enjoy the Nuggets’ big show.
