Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor and NBA contributing writer Tom Haberstroh discuss whether the Nuggets are serious contenders if their MVP’s shooting is compromised by injury. Hear the full conversation on “The Kevin O’Connor Show” and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.

Video Transcript

Nikola Jokic.

He has a real injury.

He has a real injury to his elbow right now, and ever since he injured that elbow a couple weeks back against Oklahoma City, he’s shooting 6 of 30 from 3, and only 31 of 43 from the free throw line, and this is a guy who was well over 40% from 3 for the whole duration of the season.

Tom, do you think the Nuggets are dead if Jokic doesn’t refind his knockdown jumper?

I wouldn’t say dead cause every team has their warts and weaknesses that if he’s he’s still so good, even without a 45% 3 point shot, um, that he can dominate a game without even shooting.

Jokic is that good, um, but they don’t, they don’t have a lot of shooting around Jokic.

And it’s becoming a much bigger sore spot without his 3 point shooting like you said.

To me, they’re always gonna be like in that 3 star tier, the 3rd tier of title contenders, uh, because of that shooting, because of their defensive issues, and Jokic, like, I wrote about it this past week that he is leading the NBA in baskets at the rim defended, meaning when he’s nearby, he’s given up the most baskets, and but a lot of the issue is just, they don’t have great point of attack, defenders, KCP is gone, you know, Russell Westbrook at this stage.

is not a lockdown defender and a lot of the thinking is Jokic.

We don’t want to wear him out.

We don’t want him to get in foul trouble, and we want him to get the ball out of the basket in ways that Mark Dagne thinks is kind of cheating and to get the ball out quickly and start a fast break the other way.

They try to preserve Jokic by saying like, don’t try to be Dikembe Mutombo out there, don’t try to be Rudy Gobert, just don’t get in foul trouble, and part of this is like a strategy, but it also means that they’re a bottom 8 defense in the NBA and Jokic, if he doesn’t have a 3 point shot and they’re not able to make up some of that difference and mitigate the defensive issues with uh with elite 3 point shooting.

They’re not gonna be able to contend at the highest levels.

And so, uh, Jokic, individually, he can still dominate without a 3 point shot, but the Nuggets have a very low ceiling compared to the Warriors, compared to OKC, compared to the Lakers.

If Jokic is not great from 3 and is not being an elite rim protector, cause they just don’t have anybody else if Aaron Gordon is not able to play every night.

I think he needs a 3, considering the lack of other shooting on the team.

Granted, as you said, he can still dominate without taking a single 3 in a game.

For winning the NBA finals, he needs to be shooting 3s.