One criticism of Nikola Jokic: He’s sometimes too unselfish

The three-time MVP Nikola Jokic can score from anywhere on the floor, but the morning show wants to see him take over more often when games are on the line.

Nikola Jokic can do things on a basketball court that no player before him has done. He scores inside and outside, from the post and from the perimeter, and at the same time he makes passes most point guards wouldn’t attempt. He has three MVP awards, a championship and a Finals MVP. He’s already recorded three triple doubles this season, and has only nine more to go before taking over Russell Westbrook’s record.

The part of his game that frustrates fans most shows up late in close games, and it comes from the same instinct that makes him great.

On a recent edition of “Stokley and Evans with Mark Schlereth” on 104.3 The Fan, Schlereth named it directly.

“If I had any criticism of Jokic, it’s that sometimes he’s too unselfish,” Schlereth said.

That’s an unusual criticism for a superstar. Most of the league’s best players get accused of the opposite: forcing shots, ignoring teammates and slowing the offense down. Nikola Jokic’s game is built on reading the defense and finding whoever is open. Through most of a game, that’s exactly what Denver needs. The ball moves, his teammates get easy looks, and opponents can’t load up on him without paying for it.

Schlereth said that approach can be a problem in crunch time.

“Sometimes it’s too about making the right play and getting everybody else involved,” he said.

Late in a close game, “the right play” can mean different things. On paper, Nikola Jokic swinging the ball to an open shooter is the higher-percentage look. In the final minutes, though, there’s a strong argument that the best play is putting the ball in the hands of the league’s best player and letting him finish it. Defenses know Nikola Jokic is looking to pass, and they can play for it. Teammates who have been passive for 46 minutes are suddenly taking the biggest shot of the night.

Schlereth’s frustration comes from knowing Jokic can do it.

“Obviously still has the touch on his shot that is unreal. When he wants to take over a game, Jokic can take over a game,” Schlereth said.

Jokic’s shooting touch is one of the most dependable weapons in the league. He makes fadeaways over taller defenders, floaters in traffic and threes when defenses sag off him. When he decides to score, there isn’t a matchup that reliably stops him. The question is how often he makes that decision in the moments that matter most.

That matters more this season than it has before. Denver traded Peyton Watson this offseason, and Aaron Gordon’s health is still uncertain. The Nuggets added DeMar DeRozan as another scorer, and Jamal Murray scored 42 in the home opener, but the roster around Jokic is thinner than it was during the championship run. In the Western Conference, against teams like Oklahoma City and San Antonio, close games will likely come down to a handful of possessions. Denver’s best chance in those moments is usually Jokic shooting the ball himself.

Schlereth didn’t mean any of this as a knock on how good Nikola Jokic is.

“He’s still an apex predator,” Schlereth said.

That’s the point. Nikola Jokic is still the most dangerous player on the floor almost every night. Schlereth isn’t asking him to stop passing or change what has made him great. He wants Jokic to recognize when a game calls for him to stop looking for teammates and take the shot. If the Nuggets are going to contend this season, they’ll probably need him to do that more often.

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