NBA Legend Calls Out Denver Nuggets for 'Wasting' Nikola Jokic's Prime

A three-time MVP and arguably the most talented big man in NBA history, Jokic has all the individual accolades but just one title to his name as he enters his 11th NBA season. The Nuggets are one of the most improved teams from the offseason, but NBA legend and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley believes the franchise hasn't done right by the MVP.

Charles Barkley's Stance On Denver

"The problem they have now is that they're playing catch-up," Barkley said. "And I always tell people this: You never catch up. It might be too late because they're not head and shoulders, the best starting five. They got rid of their two best players off the bench when they won the championship."

While the Nuggets might have the best player in the league, they don't have a ton of young talent that has a lot of room to grow. As for teams like the Thunder, Houston Rockets, and even San Antonio Spurs, those are all teams that will improve drastically year-by-year.

"Man, if you got a chance to win, you better go for it. And they really wasted the Joker over the last couple of years. The problem they got now is they're not better than Oklahoma City. And I'm sure they're not better than the Rockets," Barkley added.

Barkley obviously has his own opinions on the Nuggets stacking up to the likes of the Thunder and Rockets, but given how last season ended for Denver, the positive changes to their roster, they should be going toe-to-toe with OKC and the rest of the top contenders. However, Barkley believes Denver needs to be taking it a step further, especially with no other All-Stars alongside Jokic.

"Perfect example. Go back and look. When those guys had [Larry] Bird, they brought in somebody every year...," Barkley said. "You can never stand pat when you win. The Celtics, they brought in [Bill] Walton one year, the Lakers bring in Mychal Thompson. They brought in Bob McAdoo and Sam Perkins. That's what made the Celtics and Lakers the best franchises in NBA history."

At this point, if the Nuggets can't at least win one more title with Jokic in these next two seasons, perhaps it's time that he looks elsewhere to try and close out his career with some more rings to his name.

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