Nikola Jokic's historic two-game span not a good sign for Nuggets

As impressive as these feats are, the Nuggets should be quietly concerned about Jokic attempting 28.2 shots per game through five games in December and a career-high 21.8 for the season. 

The Serb has never been a volume shooter. Through his first nine seasons in the league, he never attempted more than 18.0 shots per game for a season, and that high point came in his 2020-21 MVP season when Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. were in and out of the lineup due to injuries. 

During Denver's title-winning 2022-23 campaign, Jokic averaged 14.8 shots in the regular season and 20.7 in the postseason. Murray (16.0) led Denver in shot attempts in the regular season, and in the playoffs, Jokic (414) attempted only four more shots than Murray (410). The Nuggets had a balanced attack, led by their two-headed monster, and never had to rely on Jokic to put up historic stat lines every night.

It's rather concerning that Murray's game has regressed over the past two years. This season, the guard is averaging 17.8 points — his lowest production since his sophomore year — while shooting a career-low 33.3 percent from three and 42 percent from the field. Due to Murray's struggles, Jokic has been forced to take on a much larger role as a scorer, which hasn't necessarily translated to wins. Despite Jokic's solo heroics, the Nuggets are 12-10 and barely clinging to the seventh seed in the uber-competitive Western Conference.

We already have evidence that suggests the Nuggets are worse off when Jokic attempts so many shots. During the 2024 Western Conference semifinals against the Timberwolves, Jokic was forced to take a whopping 151 shots over seven games — his most over a seven-game playoff stretch — because Murray, Aaron Gordon and Porter endured ice-cold stretches where they couldn't buy a bucket. 

As a result, Jokic was fatigued by Game 7, when he shot an uncharacteristic 13-of-28 from the field while clocking nearly 47 minutes. The high workload affected Jokic's rebounding, defense and passing, rendering him almost ineffective as the Nuggets blew a 20-point lead and collapsed in the fourth quarter. 

Jokic affects the game in a million ways other than scoring. The last thing Denver needs is for the 7-footer to continue attempting over 25 shots per game. It's a recipe for disaster.