Nikola Jokic’s Reign of Terror: Why the Knicks Struggle Against the Nuggets Star
The Denver Nuggets may not be the same championship contender they have been in recent years to start the season, but that doesn’t mean they won’t pose major matchup issues around the league.
Especially for the New York Knicks.
New York’s defensive rating has fallen to 21st in the NBA this year – a significant drop from last year’s top-10 finish for the franchise. That is due in large part to injuries sustained by Mitchell Robinson, as well as the arrival of Karl-Anthony Towns.
The All-NBA center has never been known for his defensive prowess and has brought that mediocre trait to New York this season to start. It also doesn’t help that Towns is questionable for Monday’s showdown against the Nuggets with a left calf contusion.
Against an MVP player in Nikola Jokic, the Knicks are in a difficult situation for Monday.
They simply don’t have the bodies to defend Jokic. Especially with him on another MVP-caliber run to start 2024.
Jokic is averaging a triple-double to start the season with over 30 points per game, almost 14 rebounds a game, and 11 assists. He’s on an all-time run with a team in Denver that has played some difficult opponents to begin the season.
Even so, Jokic alone has been enough to keep Denver over .500 to this point.
In most games, the matchup against Towns and Jokic would be an enticing one. Back when the former first overall pick was in Minnesota, Towns helped build a gameplan that knocked Jokic and the Nuggets out in the second round of the NBA Playoffs last season.
That was with a top defensive center in Rudy Gobert mainly being the catalyst, though. Even if Towns plays, he’s not the same difficult matchup for Jokic.
New York is facing a matchup nightmare Monday that they don’t have an answer for at the moment. It’s going to make their contest difficult to watch unless the entire unit helps out inside.
