Jokic Seeks Answers as Early-Season Shooting Slumps
Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic said he is trying to understand his poor three-point shooting after a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on November 2. He is shooting 22.6% from three through six games this season.
Jokic said his shots have been going in during practice but not during games. He described the difficult stretch as a chance to improve and consider what needs to change. His 22.6% three-point accuracy and 47.2% shooting overall are career lows through the Nuggets’ first six games.
The numbers follow a drop in efficiency after a knee injury interrupted Jokic’s previous season. Before the injury, he shot 60.5% from the field and 43.5% from three over 32 games. In 33 games after returning, those figures fell to 53.3% and 31.9%.
Against Portland, Jokic scored 26 points, grabbed nine rebounds and had eight assists, making 10 of 22 shots overall and two of seven from beyond the arc. Denver lost the game and stands at 3-3. Its offense ranks 16th and its defense 23rd, after the team had the league’s top offense last season.
Denver’s three wins came against New Orleans twice and Phoenix once; those teams have a combined 4-8 record. The Nuggets are 0-3 against teams with winning records.
Coach David Adelman said he was not concerned, pointing to Jokic’s record as an exceptionally efficient offensive player and calling six games too small a sample to judge him. Denver is counting on its star to regain his shooting touch as the season continues.