Why is the Nuggets defeated in defending champions due to Jokic? The winner is really not strong

On June 30, in the 2024-2025 NBA Finals, the Denver Nuggets failed to realize their dream of defending the championship, which resulted in widespread discussions about the team's core Nikola Jokic. As a two-time MVP winner and one of the most dominant centers in the contemporary era, Jokic's technical comprehensiveness and game influence are unquestionable, but the team's defeat also made people begin to re-examine the Serbian superstar's professional attitude and desire to win. To some extent, the Nuggets' failure to defend the title is indeed closely related to Jokic's personal traits, which not only creates his unique style but also may become an invisible obstacle to the team's top.

Jokic's basketball philosophy is very different from most NBA superstars. In the history of the league, legends like Jordan and Kobe regarded basketball as life, and their desire to win and lose was almost engraved into the bones; even the new generation of Antetokounmpo, Doncic and others have shown an almost paranoid pursuit of victory. In contrast, Jokic's attitude towards the game is closer to the rational perception of "professional work". He has publicly stated many times: "Basketball is just my job, not my whole life." This mentality may be an advantage in the regular season, which can allow him to maintain stable output and less emotional fluctuations, but in the playoffs where the bayonet is popular, especially on the finals stage, the lack of the killer instinct of "not winning the championship is failure" may indeed become a key factor restricting the team from going further. From a technical perspective, Jokic still maintained his peak form in the 2024-2025 season. The regular season averaged 26.3 points, 12.1 rebounds, 9.2 assists, a true hit rate of 62.1%, and the league's number one player efficiency value (PER), all prove that he is still one of the biggest guys on the planet who can play basketball the most. In the playoffs, his data increased to 28.5 points, 13.4 rebounds and 8.7 assists, leading the Nuggets to enter the Western Conference Finals for the third consecutive year. However, when the team faced the Boston Celtics' iron-blooded defense in the finals, although Jokic could still contribute gorgeous data, he lacked the decisive temperament of "carrying the team on his shoulders". In the last moment of the fourth game of the series, the Nuggets were 2 points behind and had the ball. Jokic chose to pass the ball to Murray, who was cold-hearted, rather than to play it himself, resulting in a mistake being counterattacked and locked in a defeat - this key round vividly reflects his game philosophy: believing that the system is better than individual heroism. The impact of Jokic's personality traits on the team's culture cannot be ignored. As the absolute core of the team, his "work mentality" invisibly shaped the Nuggets' overall gentle team temperament. Compared with the Celtics' Tatum and Brown's fierce fighting spirit, the Nuggets lack the murderous aura of burning their boats at critical moments. This difference is particularly evident in the finals tiebreak, when Celtic players fight as hard as playing the last game in almost every round, the Nuggets seem to rely too much on tactical execution and lack the passion for adaptation. Post-match statistics show that among all "50-50 goals" in the series (both sides compete for equal opportunities), the Celtics won 62%, which directly reflects the gap between the two sides in terms of game intensity.

It is worth noting that this characteristic of Jokic is not all a disadvantage. It is precisely because he sees basketball as a job rather than a life-and-death battle that he has maintained an amazing attendance rate over the past five seasons (only 7 games per season on average), providing consistently stable output over the long regular season. His calmness and rationality also helped the Nuggets become one of the league's most tactical execution teams, and rarely get lost due to emotional fluctuations. But the other side of the coin is that when the game requires personal heroism beyond tactics, Jokic often chooses to continue doing the "right" rather than the "wonderful things". In the third game of the 2025 Finals, Jokic did not make a move in the last three minutes. After the game, he said "the teammates had better opportunities at that time" - this absolute rationality sometimes becomes a shackle in the highest level of competition.

Jokic's uniqueness is more obvious than other great centers in history. O'Neal once bluntly criticized Jokic for "it's too good to be a good person"; Olajuwon also said when commenting on the game: "I hope to see him get angry." Even Duncan, who is known for his skill, will reveal the fangs of "Stone Buddha" at critical moments. Jokic seems to have always maintained a transcendent calm, and his expression management is surprisingly consistent regardless of victory or failure. This trait makes him look particularly alternative in the social media era, but it also makes people question whether he has the ultimate driving force of "doing everything for the championship".

From the perspective of team building, Jokic's personality not only brings convenience to the management to build a stable lineup, but also sets an invisible ceiling. The Nuggets do not need to worry about locker room conflicts or star force, and can strengthen the lineup step by step; but on the other hand, when the team needs core players to drive the entire team to break through the limits at the spiritual level, Jokic's "working mentality" may not provide enough leadership. During the 2025 playoffs, when Murray and Porter Jr. were in a state ups and downs, Jokic used passes rather than words or actions to motivate his teammates. This relatively passive leadership style seemed ineffective in the highest level of competition.

Objectively speaking, the Nuggets' failure to defend their title is the result of the combined effect of multiple factors, including injuries, opponent strengthening, insufficient lineup depth, etc. But as the soul of the team, Jokic's game temperament is indeed to blame. In the modern NBA, it is difficult to win consecutive championships purely by relying solely on tactical systems and talents, and core players need to have the almost paranoid desire to win - just like Curry showed in his 2022 championship journey. Jokic may never become a Jordan-like "killer", but if he wants to lead the Nuggets to establish a dynasty, he may need to complete some kind of evolution at the psychological level while maintaining his technological advantages..

In the next season, Jokic and the Nuggets will remain strong contenders for the championship. His comprehensive technology, basketball IQ and stable output ensure the team's lower limit is extremely high. But to truly be among the greatest players in history, Jokic may need to rethink what basketball means to him - is it a job to support his family, or is it worthy of all the pursuits? The answer to this question may determine whether the Nuggets can return to the top under his leadership.