Can MPJ do even more?
With Murray out for rest of season, it’s on Nuggets’ young star
Q: Can Nikola Jokic still win MVP? Can Michael Porter Jr. step up even more? Who needs to step up the most? Can we shock the world? @a_cornfield via Twitter
Mike: Jokic can absolutely still win MVP, and I’d posit he’s still the favorite. I wouldn’t underestimate the Nuggets just because they lost Jamal Murray.
If the Nuggets hold onto their No. 4 seed, I think Jokic will win. Denver, which entered Thursday three games back of the No. 3 seed Clippers and just one game up on the No. 5 seed Lakers, has an easier schedule than the Lakers to end the season.
If the Nuggets maintain their place, that only bolsters Jokic’s argument as indispensable. If they drop, it might make voters squeamish to vote for a player outside of the top four in their respective conference.
Remember, Jokic hasn’t missed a game this season. His primary competition, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, has missed 18. The Murray injury has the potential to galvanize a team that has a history of … making history.
Porter is the X-factor moving forward. With more touches coming Porter’s way, does he have another leap to make? In the 19 games after the All-Star break, Porter’s averaging 21.5 points on 43% from 3, and 8.8 rebounds in 33 minutes per game. In April, he’s averaging 16 shots per game, up from 10.7 just two months earlier. Porter’s time is now.
Q: Nuggets will probably face the Lakers in the first round and without Jamal Murray. That sounds like an impossible mission. … Do you think Nuggets can pull this off ?
Ognjen Lečić, Bajina Bašta
Mike: Well, the Nuggets aren’t the only team with giant injury concerns. A lot hinges on the statuses of the Lakers’ tandem forwards LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who’ve both missed significant time.
I spoke to one well-connected agent on Wednesday and asked this same question. His view: The Lakers are a decent matchup for Denver because most teams will try to put Nikola Jokic in pick-and-roll, forcing a switch or putting Jokic in vulnerable positions. Dennis Schroder (34% on 3s), Kyle Kuzma (34%) and Wes Matthews (33%) aren’t exactly blazing 3-point snipers. As a whole, the Lakers are among the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league. With that said, Jokic has struggled with Davis’ athleticism in the past.
Circle that May 3 date on your calendar. That one, with major playoff implications, is going to be fun.
Q: Could you explain to the people that it wasn’t Michael Malone who injured Jamal? Or anyone else? It just happens. @Ajetam99 via Twitter
Mike: Yes, freak injuries happen. Murray’s was a gut-wrenching example.
The Nuggets were down just seven at the time his left leg buckled, holding onto a sliver of hope that they might be able to salvage the Golden State game.
Murray was well-rested because he hadn’t played the prior four games due to right knee soreness. According to Malone, there was no minutes restriction. The only way you could blame Malone is if you didn’t think they had a chance to win (they did), or if he’d disregarded what the team’s trainers had recommended.
As far as we know, neither happened.