Nine games into the 2026-27 NBA season, and Nikola Jokic keeps struggling with his scoring, as we highlighted last week, putting up 23.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 9.1 assists, but shooting only 48.8% from the field and an awful 22.5% from three, which is a massive drop from the 27.7 points he scored on 56.9% shooting last season.
And while Jokic clearly hasn’t been making his usual shots, his struggles might have something to do with DeMar DeRozan, who joined the Denver Nuggets during the offseason. Serbian outlet Sportklub recently looked deeper into their numbers, and Denver has a 120.3 offensive rating when Jokic plays without DeRozan, compared to only 105.7 when they’re together.
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Those 14.6 fewer points are a huge difference for a team that had the NBA’s best offense for the last few years. The Nuggets are only 5-4 after Monday’s 110-100 loss to the Rockets, and I think these metrics give us a pretty good reason to question whether signing DeRozan was actually the right move, even if it’s still early in the season.
Denver’s Offense Has Taken A Huge Step Back
For the last few years, having Jokic on the floor almost guaranteed Denver would have one of the best offensive productions, and it didn’t matter much who was playing next to him. The three-time MVP led the Nuggets to their first championship in 2023, averaged a triple-double last season, and spent four straight years reaching some crazy offensive feats.
In 2022-23, Denver had a 124.2 rating with Jokic playing, followed by 122.4 in 2023-24, 125.6 in 2024-25, and an incredible 126.1 last season. But through the first nine games of 2026-27, that number has dropped to only 112.9, meaning the Nuggets are scoring 13.2 fewer with an all-time offensive supernova still on the court.
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His shooting is definitely part of the problem, because Jokic finished last season with 67.1% true shooting while averaging 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists. Now he’s currently at 56.1% true shooting, and he’s made only 9 of his first 40 threes after shooting 41.7% from deep in 2024-25 and 38.0% last year.
There have been some excellent performances mixed in, including 35 points, 15 rebounds, and ten assists against New Orleans and another 32-point triple-double against Toronto. But he’s also scored 13 against the Thunder and 19 against both the Warriors and Pacers, so the scoring consistency clearly hasn’t been there.
I don’t think Jokic is suddenly regressing at 31, especially when he’s still almost averaging a triple-double, but Denver’s offense isn’t getting anywhere near its usual results. And when you look at how much better things have been without DeRozan sharing the floor, it’s hard not to wonder whether the Nuggets have made Jokic’s job more difficult than it needs to be.
The Jokic-DeRozan Pairing Has Been Awful
The most surprising part of Sportklub’s report is that Jokic has played 110 minutes alongside DeRozan and another 216 without him, with Denver looking like two completely different offensive teams during those stretches. The Nuggets are still getting good results when Jokic plays without his new teammate, but their numbers fall off badly when the two share the floor.
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And Monday’s loss to the Rockets was another frustrating example, because Jokic finished with 25 points, 16 rebounds, and nine assists, while Jamal Murray scored 38 points on 14-of-23 shooting, including five threes. That’s 63 points from Denver’s two best players, yet the Nuggets finished with only 100 points, while DeRozan added just seven points on 2-of-8 shooting in 19 minutes and posted a -16.
Of course, one game doesn’t prove DeRozan is responsible for Denver’s offensive problems, and 110 shared minutes are still a small sample. But we’re not talking about one bad shooting night or a couple of missed open threes here, because Jokic’s scoring, passing, and efficiency have all been much worse during those minutes, so there’s definitely a trend going on there.
Jokic’s Numbers With And Without DeRozan
Jokic’s individual production might actually be more surprising than Denver’s team offensive rating, because every major stat changes when DeRozan joins him on the floor. So here is a breakdown of Jokic’s numbers per 100 possessions with and without DeRozan, including his scoring, assists, shooting efficiency, usage, and Denver’s overall performance:
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Jokic is scoring only 25.1 points when he plays with DeRozan, compared to 34.1 without him, which means he’s producing nine extra points whenever the wing sits. And somehow, his usage rate actually drops from 33.5% to 31.2% without DeRozan, so Jokic is scoring much more while using a smaller share of Denver’s offense.
The shooting difference is even worse, with Jokic posting just 41.9% true shooting when the two play together, compared to an excellent 64.5% when DeRozan is on the bench. That’s a difference of 22.6%, which is unbelievable for someone who spent years being one of the most efficient high-volume scorers in NBA history.
His passing also takes a hit, going from 14.2 assists without DeRozan to only 8.4 when they share the floor. That’s 5.8 fewer assists, and I think that’s just as concerning as the scoring because so much of Denver’s system depends on Jokic creating shots for his teammates, not just scoring himself.
The rebounding numbers follow a similar pattern, with Jokic grabbing 15.3 rebounds without DeRozan and 12.8 alongside him, although I’d be more careful about reading too much into that difference. Rebounds depend on missed shots, teammates, and lineups, so I wouldn’t use that particular stat as evidence of a bad offensive fit.
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There are also two categories where Jokic actually performs better with DeRozan, with his free-throw figure rising from 5.2 to 7.0 per 100 while his turnovers drop from 4.7 to 3.5. So it’s not like absolutely everything is worse when they’re together, but the biggest differences are still showing up in the areas where Denver normally depends on Jokic the most.
His shot selection is another interesting detail, because only 11.1% of his field-goal attempts come from three when DeRozan plays, compared to 31.8% without him, and it suggests Jokic is trying to force the issue down low when he shares the court with a non-shooter like DeRozan.
And the overall results aren’t much better, with Denver posting a -7.9 net rating when Jokic and DeRozan play together, compared to +9.0 with Jokic playing without him. And while I wouldn’t blame one player for the entire difference, there’s clearly something happening with this pairing that David Adelman needs to address.
Maybe DeRozan Just Isn’t The Right Fit
I liked the DeRozan signing during the summer, mainly because getting a six-time All-Star with more than 26,000 career points on a minimum contract sounded like a pretty good deal. He was coming off a season with 18.4 points and 4.1 assists for the Sacramento Kings, and I thought Denver could use another experienced scorer for more punch in the second unit.
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But DeRozan is a master at taking midrange shots and creating his own looks in isolation, and that doesn’t exactly fit with how Jokic has been running the Nuggets for years. Jokic usually controls the game from the high post, finds cutters, and creates open shots, while DeRozan also likes getting the ball around those same areas instead of standing outside and shooting threes.
And because DeRozan has never been a great outside shooter, defenders don’t have to worry about him as much when he’s standing beyond the arc, which can make things harder for Jokic. That wouldn’t be such a big problem if DeRozan were producing efficiently, but he’s averaging only 10.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists on 40.6% from the field and 16.7% from three, making just two of his first 12 attempts from deep.
We’re talking about someone who averaged at least 20 PPG in eleven different seasons, so I don’t think anybody expected his scoring to fall this much. But having an incredible career doesn’t mean you’re going to fit next to another great player, especially when both guys operate in similar areas.
I still think DeRozan can help Denver, and I wouldn’t call the signing a disaster when he’s making the minimum, but the Nuggets clearly need to find a different way to use him. Right now, they’re getting neither the scoring they expected from DeRozan nor the offensive production they’ve been used to seeing from Jokic.
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Jokic Still Has His Own Problems To Fix
As much as the DeRozan numbers concern me, I wouldn’t blame him for every shot Jokic has missed this season, because the three-time MVP has been unusually cold from outside regardless of who’s playing next to him. He went 1-of-7 from three against the Thunder, 1-of-6 against the Warriors, and 2-of-7 against the Portland Trail Blazers, then followed those games with another 1-of-5 performance against the Rockets.
That’s five makes on 25 attempts across those four games, which is nowhere near his usual level, and I think Jokic deserves some criticism for that. We also have to remember that these lineup numbers come from just nine games, and the results can change depending on the opponents, other teammates, and rotations. DeRozan might be sharing more minutes with weaker bench players or facing different defensive pressure, so saying he’s personally responsible for Denver losing 14.6 points would be taking the data too far.
And it’s worth mentioning that Murray has been excellent, putting up 25.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists while shooting an incredible 50.7% from three. He’s been doing his part offensively, which makes Jokic’s scoring struggles and the problems with DeRozan even more exposed.
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I expect Jokic’s shooting to improve eventually because he’s been too good for too long to suddenly become a 22.5% three-point shooter, but that doesn’t mean Denver should keep trying the same adjustments if the season is going to carry on this harshly.
Maybe A Change In DeRozan’s Role Is The Way
If I were David Adelman, I’d start by giving DeRozan more minutes running the second unit without Jokic, because that’s probably where his scoring would help Denver the most. He was still averaging 24 points with the Chicago Bulls in 2023-24, and while he’s obviously not that same player at 37, he’s more than capable of handling a bigger role against opposing bench players.
I’d also try playing him alongside Murray for longer stretches, especially if that gives Jokic more minutes with Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Cameron Johnson. Denver doesn’t need DeMar taking touches away from its best player when he’s already struggling to find his usual scoring rhythm, and DeRozan could probably get more comfortable with the ball in his hands instead of standing in the corner.
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It’s not like DeRozan needs to average 20 points for this signing to work, either, because 12 or 14 efficient points while helping the bench survive without Jokic would already be a decent return on a minimum contract. The Nuggets are only nine games into the season, so I’d try those changes before even thinking about a trade, but I wouldn’t keep forcing a pairing that’s producing such poor offensive numbers.
Jokic’s Contract Makes Denver’s Future Even More Important
There’s another part of this breakdown worth mentioning, because Jokic still hasn’t signed his next contract extension, and Denver needs to make sure its franchise player is happy with the team’s direction. He’s making $59.0 million this season and has a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28, which means he could decline that option next summer and become a free agent.
The Nuggets had the chance to offer him a four-year extension worth around $278 million during the summer of 2026, but he decided to wait, and by waiting until 2027, Jokic could become eligible for a five-year deal worth approximately $359.5 million, more than $80 million above the extension he could’ve signed this year.
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He also said in July that he wants to spend the rest of his career with Denver and expects to sign another deal next summer, so I wouldn’t turn the contract situation into some made-up trade rumor. But I do think the Nuggets need to be careful about wasting his best years, because Jokic is already 31, has three MVP awards, a championship, and a Finals MVP, but hasn’t returned to the Finals since 2023.
The DeRozan signing wasn’t expensive, and I’m not saying one bad month is going to make Jokic leave, but Denver should be doing everything possible to help him compete for another title. If one of its offseason additions keeps making the offense worse, changing his role should be a pretty easy decision.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
