Feb 25, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during the second half against the Boston Celtics at Ball Arena. Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

Nuggets' Nikola Jokic Embraces David Adelman's Brutally Honest Coaching

Originally posted on Denver Nuggets on SI
By Logan Struck | Last updated Feb 26, 2026 5:30 PM ET

After a huge win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, the Denver Nuggets are now sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference with a 37-22 record. With just 23 games left in the season, the clock is ticking for the Nuggets to clean up their mistakes and prepare for the playoffs. Luckily, head coach David Adelman is not letting up on his team.

After Wednesday's win, Adelman said that he's "brutally honest" with his players, but gives props to them for responding.

Denver's three-time MVP Nikola Jokic responded to Adelman's comment, saying that he wants his coach to be hard on them.

"Yes, that's how it's supposed to be," Jokic said. "This is our team. It's just us. Nobody else is going to come and do the job for us. If you want to be better, we need to be honest with each other."

Nuggets are holding themselves accountable

Even when they endured a cold streak, losing six of nine games, the Nuggets stayed focused on the task at hand. With a team full of veterans who have been through ups and downs in this league, there is no reason for the Nuggets to get too down on a few losses. Their accountability was on full display on Wednesday, as everyone bought in to secure a much-needed win over one of the NBA's best teams.

"The group seems really locked in," Adelman said. "Not just to me, but the assistant coaches, player development, our training staff. It's just a really good group of people. When you have a job like mine, you just do it the best you can. You be as honest as you can with these guys, because the whole point of this is to help them succeed. If they succeed, we all succeed."

Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

This is undoubtedly one of the most talented rosters the Nuggets have had in their franchise's history, and they have the tools to be successful in the postseason because everyone is bought in. Even with the league's best player, Jokic, leading the charge, everyone from players to coaches knows what the end-of-season goal is.

Still, though, they know the best way to get there is by taking it one game at a time.

"This is a race to win games. The next one's the most important against a really quality opponent, the best team in our league the last few years, then we'll go from there," Adelman said. "I think you have to have that mindset to not get too far ahead. There's too many opportunities out there to put yourself in a great place. ... If we can get ourselves right, we'll be a problem in that tournament. ... I just want to get there, and that process will continue against OKC."

The Nuggets are now heading into a challenging stretch, with their next two matchups against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves, the last two teams to knock them out of the playoffs. If they just take it one game at a time, though, they will ultimately get to the finish line.

This article first appeared on Denver Nuggets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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