Nikola Jokic is widely regarded as the best passing big man in NBA history, and his high assist totals and wizardry passes constantly back that up. However, he has not been racking up the same number of assists so far in the West Semifinals as he and the Nuggets find themselves in a 3-2 hole heading back to Denver for Game 6.
In the regular season, Jokic averaged a career-high 10.2 assists per game as he became just the fourth player in NBA history to average a triple double for an entire season. In the first round of the playoffs against the LA Clippers, he kept it up, averaging 10.1 assists per game.
However, through five games of the Western Conference Semifinals, the three-time MVP is only averaging 5.2 assists per game. What’s changed for the Joker and Denver’s offense?
In the regular season, Jokic averaged 16.5 potential assists per game, which are defined by the NBA as “any pass to a teammate who shoots within one dribble of receiving the ball.” In this series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, that number is at 14.8. In Game 5 alone, a game in which he also had 44 points and 15 rebounds, Jokic had 20 potential assists, but finished the game with just five.
What do those numbers mean?
The supporting cast isn’t capitalizing on the same opportunities they did in the regular season. While none of the 25 field goals that Nikola Jokic attempted on Tuesday night were classified as wide open (no defender within six feet), the rest of the team took 23 of those shots. Only four found the bottom of the net.
Jamal Murray went 0-for-4, Michael Porter Jr. went 0-for-3 and Russell Westbrook went 0-for-3. Christian Braun was the only player on the team to make more than one wide open shot, but he only went 2-for-6.
On open shots (defender within 4-6 feet), the non-Jokic Nuggets shot 6-for-20, with Murray shooting 2-for-8 on those looks.
I often bemoan how well other teams shoot and the retort is always, “wElL tHeY lEfT tHe sHoOtErS oPen.” I present to you the Nuggets missing open shot after open shot in the 4th. While it is a defensive choice its the choice to not play defense and let DEN who can’t shoot, shoot pic.twitter.com/goHhSNkpzn
— will jones ⚒️ (@Will_d_jones) May 14, 2025
Jokic is still creating plenty of scoring opportunities for his teammates, but the cast around him just hasn’t been getting the job done in the biggest moments in the last two games. If the Nuggets want to keep the season alive, the other guys will have to start knocking down these open shots.
The last time Jokic averaged 5.2 assists or fewer in a playoff series was the 2021 first round against the Portland Trail Blazers, a series with the Nuggets won 4-2. His assist numbers have tended to dip a little bit in the postseason, besides the championship run in 2023, but not as much as they have this series.
NBA teams are only as talented as their weakest link, and in the last two games, the weakest links for Denver have not been contributing enough to help out Jokic and the Nuggets, who are now fighting for their lives as the series transitions back to the Mile High City.
