NBA
NBA legend Charles Barkley tells the Nuggets don’t waste Nikola Jokic’s prime
Joe Lyons is a sports writer and basketball expert for Basketball Insiders. Joe has a keen eye for the betting markets within the NBA and a great passion for the game of basketball. also been published by Nottingham Forest FC, working with the academy and senior teams to produce content on matchdays. He formerly covered the Premier League and EFL as an on-site reporter during the 2020/21 season for Prost International. He is an expert in a range of other sports including soccer, horse racing darts and American football. Joe specialises in long form SEO content alongside news, tips and betting.
All posts by Joe LyonsUpdated05 Dec 2024
Charles Barkley has urged the Denver Nuggets not to waste Nikola Jokic’s prime as the Serbian master delivered another impeccable performance on Tuesday.
Chuck tells the Nuggets they need to make a trade to support Jokic after 11-8 start
Jokic, a three-time MVP and Finals MVP winner with six All-NBA honors at the age of just 29, is widely regarded as the best player in the world – and he has been for quite some time.
According to the best online betting sites, Jokic is the +150 favorite to win a fourth MVP trophy this year as he averages a 30-point triple double on the season through 16 appearances.
The Nuggets, as a team, haven’t enjoyed that same success as their star man has so far. Denver sit eighth in the Western Conference but at the same time, they’re only 2.5 games back of second.
Barkley, one of TNT’s biggest media analysts on ‘Inside The NBA,’ is also a winner of the MVP award and earned 11 All-Star selections across his 16-year career in the league from 1984 to 2000.
The 61-year-old urged Denver’s front office not to waste Jokic’s prime and suggested the team make a trade in order to strengthen their roster:
“I hope they make a trade. You cannot waste the Joker’s career. He is the best player in the world. They let two guys go off the bench, that were very vital to them winning the championship. Their bench is weaker than water.”
Charles Barkley on maximising Jokic’s prime.
“You cannot waste this guy’s prime… Get greedy” https://t.co/B2Mxuco5jd pic.twitter.com/6Ra5BGNUe5
— n i k o l a e s t h e t i c (@nikolaesthetic) December 4, 2024
Who could the Denver Nuggets trade for?
Some of the Nuggets’ trade targets are rumoured to include Jokic’s fellow countryman and Olympic bronze medalist Bogdan Bogdanovic, who currently plays for the Atlanta Hawks but his salary is worth $17.2 million which could make a deal difficult.
Dorian Finney-Smith of the Brooklyn Nets and the Charlotte Hornets’ Serbian ballhandler Vasilije Micic have also been touted as potential options for Denver.
