The Denver Nuggets have not been able to do justice to their ambitions for the current season. Eyeing a playoff run, the Nuggets have been lacking consistency. While the team has looked like a champion outfit on some occasions, the Nuggets have faltered badly on other instances. However, amidst all the criticism regarding the team’s play, one thing has been certain. Despite the mixed bag this season, Nikola Jokic still remains the star of the team.
In fact, not only the Nuggets but also Jokic is perhaps the best athlete in the entire NBA at the moment. And a recent piece of news will be enough to confirm the same. In a stat put up by FanDuel, a comparison was made between the Nuggets’ rank while playing with Jokic and when he is not a part of the team. And the numbers were shocking. The five parameters considered are Offense rating, Net rating, Field Goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, and AST/TO ratio.
There is not a single more valuable player in the NBA than Nikola Jokic: pic.twitter.com/v6aNJEtZem
— Swipa (@SwipaCam) December 6, 2024
In all the cases, the Nuggets have ranked 1 when Nikola Jokic featured for them. On the contrary, without their star power, the rank of the Denver-based side hovered around the 28th-30th spot! Thus, with one player having such a significant impact on a team, surely, Jokic would be the automatic choice for this year’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
And for the ones who are still not convinced, here’s a sneak peek at the 3x NBA MVP’s stats this season. Jokic has averaged 29.9 ppg, along with an average of 10.4 assists and 13.4 rebounds. Thus, looking at such impressive numbers, it is quite expected that Charles Barkley will have a strong message for the Denver Nuggets.
Charles Barkley Asks Denver Nuggets To Get Greedy
NBA legend Charles Barkley does not seem to be very happy about how the Nuggets are dealing with Nikola Jokic. Speaking on the TNT halftime show, Barkley stated that going like this, the Denver-based team might as well trade the 6x NBA All-Star. “I hope they make a trade. You cannot waste the Joker’s career. He is the best player in the world,” said Barkley, citing his frustrations.
Charles Barkley on maximising Jokic's prime.
— n i k o l a e s t h e t i c (@nikolaesthetic) December 4, 2024
"You cannot waste this guy's prime… Get greedy" https://t.co/B2Mxuco5jd pic.twitter.com/6Ra5BGNUe5
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Sir Charles also urged the Nuggets to get greedy and use Jokic in more important roles to maximize his talents. Barkley also labeled the 2023 NBA Finals MVP the “best player in the world.” Thus, with things going a little rocky between the two, what happens next remains to be seen.
Also Read: Three-Time NBA Champion Gets Real About Facing Nuggets Star Nikola Jokic In His Prime
