Nikola Jokic has been becoming more and more aggressive the last 4-5 weeks, and with his career-high 47 points against Atlanta he proved that he finally found his last season’s “mojo”.
The Nuggets stand proudly in the second place of the Western Conference with a 25-11 record, playing winning basketball in the last 14 games. Namely, they are on an 11-3 record, getting victories against the likes of the Lakers, the Pacers and other tough opponents.
The “Joker” is quite aggressive the last month. He is scoring 23.4 points (19.8 season average), grabbing 9.5 rebounds and “dishing” 6.5 assists per game on a 55.8% in FG%.
Moreover, the Serbian center is shooting an impressive 43.2% from behind the arc. The Nuggets are scoring 119 points per 100 possessions (112.8 points per 100 possessions this season’s average) during that 11-3 record, while Jokic scored 20+ points in ten occasions during that span.
The 41st pick of the 2014 draft was getting “hot”, producing 18 points in the first quarter against the Hawks and shooting the “three” with confidence on his way to his 47-point career high. The “Joker” punishes his opponents on the post, while his passing ability is making it quite hard to contain him.
When Jokic is aggressive, the Denver Nuggets are one of the best teams in the West. According to Cleaning the Glass, they are scoring a +14.2 points (per 100 possessions), when Jokic is on the floor. As far as this season goes, they’re 14-5 when he scores 20-plus points and 11-6 when he doesn’t.
The “Joker” has to be more involved as a scorer in order for the Denver Nuggets to be considered a contenting team in the “wild” Western Conference this year and, in the last couple of weeks, he is producing some great “content”.
