The Denver Nuggets stumbled in their season opener, falling 87-102 to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Ball Arena. Following the disappointing result, team star Nikola Jokic delivered a blunt message to his teammates, expressing concerns about the roster’s shooting capabilities.
The Nuggets struggled to shake off their preseason woes. With the team’s only major offseason addition being former Utah Jazz guard Russell Westbrook, Jokic voiced his thoughts on the lack of consistent shooters outside of Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray.
“I mean, we don’t shoot the ball really well. We are not a good shooting team. Except (for) Mike and Jamal . All of us are kind of streaky. Not streaky, but you know, just average shooters. We have something else, we can probably be better and have advantages in some other areas,” said Jokic in the post-game conference.
In the matchup against the Thunder, Jokic and Christian Braun led the team with 16 points each, but Denver struggled with its three-point shooting. Porter Jr. scored 15 points but only converted 3 of his 10 three-point attempts, while Murray added 12 points, going just 2-for-5 from beyond the arc.
Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets drives against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 and Chet Holmgren #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first quarter at Ball Arena on October 24, 2024 in Denver, Colorado.
Nuggets missing KCP and Jackson’s shooting presence
A significant question entering the season was how the Nuggets would adjust after losing key shooter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (now with the Orlando Magic) and Reggie Jackson (now with the Philadelphia 76ers). With Westbrook as their sole offseason addition, the team’s lack of perimeter shooting has become apparent.
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Coach Michael Malone had previously highlighted shooting as a concern: “Going into the season, shooting was something on my mind. You lose a guy like KCP, who’s a 40% shooter,” Malone shared before the start of the regular season.
After going 1-4 in NBA preseason, the Nuggets’ inconsistency continued to show against the Thunder, exposing their limited roster depth. With Porter Jr. as the only player shooting above 40% from three, Denver will face a challenging season if they intend to make a deep playoff run.
