The List: Making teams pay for double-teaming Nikola Jokic

1. I’ve been harping on the Nuggets coaching staff giving Nikola Jokic the Facu-Rivers backcourt for the last several weeks. That trio somehow manages just a 93.9 offensive rating in 95 minutes so far this season, an unfathomably low mark for a lineup featuring the reigning MVP and one of the most dynamic offensive engines in the league today. It is the basketball equivalent of the world’s fastest speedboat towing the world’s heaviest anchor.

The problem with that back court is that the duo doesn’t put any pressure on the defense off of pick and rolls while also failing to properly space the court off of Jokic post-ups. The clip below perfectly demonstrates the issue. The Jazz were unbothered by Facu’s cut down the lane, daring Jokic to throw the drop off pass so they could contest it at the rim. A kickout to a wide open Rivers also fails to generate a high quality look.

2. Rivers needs to defend at an elite level in order to offset his weaknesses on the offensive end, especially when playing alongside Jokic. He’s capable of playing at that level but he is prone to mental lapses like the one below in the game’s opening two-minutes that led to a wide open lob.

3. One of my favorite things that the Utah Jazz do well on the defensive end. The fake switch and switch back. Gordon did a great job of punishing the switch back by burying Bogdanovic upon recovery.

4. The Nuggets as a team could get much better at attacking closeouts once the ball swings around the arc or on kickouts. Rivers is especially bad at making quick dribble drives when his defender closes out but he had a pair of nice examples in the game against the Jazz. This habit is especially important for Rivers who is an inconsistent shooter but has a quick first step and decent touch around the rim. Getting this skill down is likely his best bet at becoming an impactful backcourt weapon for the Nuggets.

5. Jokic has so many passes in his arsenal that I am not sure he has a signature pass. But if he did, it’d probably be the no-look rocket to the corner off of PnR like the one below.

6. In the first quarter, the Nuggets, Jokic specifically, were getting killed by Rudy Gay pick-n-pops. As the game went on, the team did a better job of rotating on the back side to keep Jokic off of him on recovery.

7. Spacing and timing is everything when a team is hard doubling the post the way that the Jazz were last night. The Nuggets were stagnant and predictable for most of the game. The possession below provides a nice template for how well-timed cuts and proper spacing open up passing angles and lanes to help generate open shots.

8. The Nuggets really struggle to get the ball to Jokic in the post but this example from last night was among the worst attempts I’ve ever seen.

9. Jokic’s octopus hands are his most underrated asset. How does he grab the ball so effortlessly off of ricochets like this?

10. Jokic does a number of things that are annoying but he’s developed a habit of taking pointless 90-foot field goal attempts when he anticipates a foul in the backcourt. If the officials blow the whistle on these plays, they won’t give Jokic free throws. But if they don’t blow the whistle, the attempt becomes a turnover.  So is there any point in continuing to try these types of shots? Other than inat?