Denver Nuggets: 5 goals for Nikola Jokic in 2017-18

5. Improve on defense

Jokic might be regarded as one of the game’s best centers. However, his recent struggles on the defensive end warrant huge concern.

The big man rarely moves his feet well enough to stay in front of his opponents, and as a result, Jokic has managed to get exposed by players on this side of the floor — particularly in pick-and-roll sets, where teams such as the Houston Rockets have sought to attack Jokic and generate easy offense more times than not.

Unfortunately, this is not the only problem.

Despite standing at 6’10”, Jokic plays primarily below the rim. His 0.7 blocks per game ranked 44th among centers last year, and should he seek to improve, Jokic must quickly find a way to cover up the obvious athletic disadvantages that he has on the defensive end. Hedging harder on guards when involved in the pick-and-roll and not falling asleep when head coach Mike Malone assigns him to watch the ball would be good places to start.

Should Jokic not make strides on defense this coming season, then it could spell potential doom for Denver, as the team that finished second-to-last in defensive efficiency last season cannot afford to see its best player commit mishaps such as these in late-game situations.

Offense may sell tickets, but defense wins championships.