Nikola Jokic Admits Denver Lacks Deep Bench Rotation During Playoff Run

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

After another painful exit in the semifinals of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs, Denver Nuggets franchise player Nikola Jokic pointed out a crucial factor in their failed bid for another championship title.

Jokic spoke to reporters in a post-game conference following their Game 7 loss at the hands of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder and emphasized that the Nuggets organization will have to bring in more bench depth if they want to push further in the postseason.

When asked if he thinks their roster, which competed in the ongoing NBA Playoffs, needs more help from the bench, Jokic simply said: “Yes, we definitely need.”

In this season’s playoffs, the Nuggets joined the New York Knicks as the top two teams that barely used heavy rotation involving their second unit and relied more on their starting five until the end of the game.

Through the first two rounds, New York’s bench mob averaged only 10.1 minutes per game, while Denver’s David Adelman had his role players limited to just 11 minutes per playoff game.

“I think we’ve played so long in such a way it’s hard for the guys to step up, especially in the playoffs, especially against two really good teams, the Los Angeles Clippers and OKC,” added Jokic.

Coach Adelman only played a few names in the first two rounds and stuck with his rotation pattern of fielding two-way small forward Payton Watson early in the game, followed by Russell Westbrook as a backup floor general to Jamal Murray.

Aside from the duo, the Nuggets’ man next in line was Julian Strawther, the team’s young shooter who exploded in the must-win Game 6 against the Thunder.

Denver still had veterans DeAndre Jordan and Dario Saric available on the bench but due to coaching and matchup decisions, were limited to just a combined 31-minute exposure in the first two rounds.

From their championship roster in 2023, Denver felt the effect of the exit of their key pieces that helped them clinch their first-ever title after thwarting the Jimmy Butler-led Miami Heat squad.

That team had one of the most solid bench units led by Bruce Brown, Jeff Green, Reggie Jackson, and Christian Braun, who is now playing as a starter for Denver.

“We can’t ask somebody who didn’t play maybe 20, 30 games to jump in and expect them to be good. But it definitely seems like the teams that have longer rotations, a longer bench, are the ones who are winning,” closed Jokic.