How the Denver Nuggets Are Handling the Pressure of Defending an NBA Title

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić sat by his locker with a stoic expression and his legs stretched out in an ice bucket.

The Nuggets had just experienced a 111-102 loss to the LA Clippers on Thursday for reasons both familiar and foreign. The familiar? The Nuggets lost to another team eager to challenge the defending NBA champions. The foreign? Jokić finished with 22 points on 9-for-32 shooting, marking the first time in his nine-year NBA career that he didn’t make at least 10 shots when he attempted at least 30 field goals.

Afterward, Jokić appeared calm. While scrolling through his phone or Facetiming with family members, Jokić’s hips and back were wrapped with ice bags while he kept his feet firmly in the bucket. As Jokić completed his 20-minute routine, Nuggets guard Reggie Jackson pointed at his star teammate. “The ultimate professional!” Jackson yelled before leaving the locker room. The scene encapsulated the Nuggets’ approach toward handling both early success and occasional speedbumps through the beginning of the 2023-24 season.

“This is normal,” Jokić said. “We have a good system. That’s what keeps us positive.”

Denver (14-8) enters Friday’s game against the Houston Rockets (9-9) in third place in the Western Conference, showcasing two overlapping identities. Just under six months after winning their first NBA title in franchise history, the Nuggets still have a sturdy foundation. Yet, they still have absorbed dents in their championship armor.

His recently poor game aside, Jokić remains on pace to average career-highs in points per game (29.0), rebounds (12.8) and assists (9.8) perhaps en route to his third MVP title in four years. Jokić’s strong production partly stems from guard Jamal Murray missing 11 games while nursing a right ankle strain and then missing two more games with a sprained right ankle.

After Denver went a combined 7-6 without him, Murray had 23 points on 10-for-18 shooting on a minutes restriction (29) against the Clippers. After garnering mostly positive reviews for mitigating Murray’s absence, the Nuggets’ reserves all finished with a negative plus-minus rating during his first game back. The Clippers’ bench also outscored Denver’s, 37-28.

“We’re not doing bad. We’re not doing that great, either,” Murray said. “But it’s a long season. We’ll pick up the slack that we’re going through right now.”

After hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy, most NBA teams enter the following season nursing a championship hangover. Other teams make off-season moves in hopes of matching the defending championship team’s depth. Every opponent prepares more against that team than any other in the regular season. The defending NBA champs have less time for recovery since they spent the summer playing additional playoff basketball and taking extended parties. According to The Messenger’s NBA Finals forecast, the team has a 17.6% chance of going back-to-back.

It should be no surprise that only 20 NBA teams have defended their title in the league’s 75-year existence. The Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics remain the lone NBA teams to enjoy consecutive championship parades.

The Nuggets insist they are not nursing a championship hangover, though. Their core players all remain in their 20s. The Nuggets also stormed out to a 9-2 record before Murray’s injury. Nonetheless, Denver has already shifted its goals subtly. During training camp, the Nuggets considered it important to finish with the Western Conference’s best record in hopes of enjoying home-court advantage in the playoffs, and that their strong regular-season play would carry over into the postseason. Before Wednesday’s game against the Clippers, however, Nuggets coach Michael Malone downplayed the significance.

“We’d love to have that, but not at the expense of that being the only goal,” Malone said. “Our goal is much bigger than just being the No. 1 seed. If you’re lucky to have that, great. If not, you have to pick a different path and find a different way.”

That’s because the Nuggets have a few tactical puzzles to solve. They displayed those issues poignantly against the Clippers.

In his first season fully removed from his back injuries, Nuggets fifth-year forward Michael Porter Jr. has gradually assumed a larger offensive and defensive role. After scoring 11 first-quarter points on 4-for-4 shooting, Porter scored only seven more points on an additional 3-for-4 clip.

“Have to get him more looks. That’s something that I have to do a better job of,” Malone said. “We become solely focused on Jamal and Joker sometimes with their potent two-man game, but Michael had it going. He’s got to get more than eight shots tonight. That’s on me as a head coach.”

Malone expressed self-criticism in other areas. He blamed himself for exceeding Murray’s unspecified minutes restriction and contended it disrupted his rhythm. On the Nuggets’ role players, Malone maintained, “I got to help them more.”

The Nuggets offered more positive reinforcement and professionalism moments later in the locker room. Malone called Porter into his office, presumably to reiterate his vow to feature him more on offense. Malone talked with Murray and praised him for his play despite the minutes restriction. Moments later, Murray iced his right ankle before talking with reserve guard Christian Braun. On the other end of the locker room, Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, center DeAndre Jordan and Jackson all encouraged each other.

“Just giving them confidence. We overthink sometimes or don’t play as free,” Murray said. “I don’t think it’s a huge problem. We just have to be able to adjust on the fly.”

The Nuggets have managed to do that otherwise partly because of their continuity with their star center (Jokić), dynamic point guard (Murray), emerging two-way wing (Porter) and dependable front-court player (Gordon). After losing key role players to free agency amid salary-cap restrictions (Bruce Brown, Jeff Green, Ish Smith), the Nuggets sought to lean on their other ones to assume heavier workloads (Caldwell-Pope Braun, Jackson, Jordan, Peyton Watson).

That approach contrasts the dramatic trades other teams made, including the Clippers. They acquired All-Star guard James Harden for role players and draft picks before experiencing mixed success so far.

“We should be a blueprint for a lot of teams,” Malone said. “You draft well. You develop well. You add the right pieces around it, and you don’t panic. You do have patience.”

Hence, Jokić’s post-game routine afterwards. It’s improved his durability and play in recent seasons. He also has seen teammates implement their own regimens to achieve similar goals. Yet, Jokić also completed his ritual to remind himself not to fret too much over a loss and a poor performance.

“You have to think that way. There are no shortcuts in life, especially in basketball,” Jokić said. “You need time to get used to your teammates. It needs time, sacrifice and understanding the relationship and communication. It’s normal to be good and to be bad.”

Mark Medina is an NBA contributor to The Messenger. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.