“These Thunder can PLAY BASKETBALL.” Skip Bayless was just one prominent name amongst the many NBA analysts who didn’t waste any time in applauding the Oklahoma City Thunder after their win in the season opener. After all, the squad had beaten not just any team, but the 2023 NBA champions, Denver Nuggets! The same team against whom the earlier win record was 7-13. However, the fact that this is now OKC’s fourth consecutive win against Nikola Jokic & Co. would be a foundation of worry for many. As a result, when the Serbian stepped out during the post-game press conference, he was ready to point fingers at all but two.

Right off the bat, Nikola Jokic blamed his squad’s overall shooting skills, stating, “We don’t shoot the ball. We are not good shooting team, I think.” After a brief pause, however, the 29-year-old added, “Except, probably, Mike and Jamal. You know, like, all of us are like, in the streaky. Not streaky but, you know, just average, average shooters so, you know. But we have something else to…. we can probably be better and have advantage in some other things on the floor.”

Nikola Jokic’s assessment regarding shooting does hold some merit. After all, the team as a whole made only 35-98 (35.7%) field goals, 7-38 (18.4%) three-pointers, and 10-14 (71.4%) free throws. Compare this to the 42.6% field goals, 22.2% three-pointers, and 66.7% free throws that Chet Holmgren, other starters, and the rotation players secured, and the answer for the Nuggets’ loss seems clear. Nikola Jokic himself faltered a bit in terms of scoring. After all, he only had 16 points.

This marks the 5 time in the last 20 games that he has gone below 20 points. His 46.2% field goals, 33.3% 3PT FG, and 75% free throw percentage against OKC limited him despite having the second-most time out of all Nuggets players on the court, right behind Jamal Murray. No wonder the Joker felt the need to subtly call out the front office for not surrounding him with better shooters.

Speaking of Jamal Murray, his and Michael Porter Jr’s shooting wasn’t any better than the Serbian. Murray’s field goal percentage stood at 30.8% despite making the same number of attempts as Jokic. However, his three-pointer percentage and free throw percentage were higher, standing at 40% and 100% respectively.

At 29.4%, despite having the most attempts, Porter Jr’s field goal percentage was the lowest out of all of the starters. As Nikola Jokic highlighted, the Nuggets excel in many things, but sure seem to be “average shooters.”

Believe it or not, but this isn’t the first time that the Nuggets shooting has come under criticism. Just like Nikola Jokic stood behind Jamal Murray, the latter, along with Michael Porter Jr. were there to propel their teammate up during the time of need.

Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. dismissed any concerns about Nikola Jokic’s poor shooting

Back in December 2023, it wasn’t the whole squad, but solely Nikola Jokic whose performance was raising cause for concern. Having come fresh off a championship win, expectations would have been high for the Western Conference Franchise to perform well. Therefore, it didn’t help when, during a matchup against the LA Clippers, Jokic shot 9-32 from the field, accompanied by 2-7 three-pointers. Two days later, in a game against the Houston Rockets, the Center’s bad luck continued. He ended the game with 9-26 field goals in another loss. In the aftermath of all this, it was the same two players, who Jokic would later defend, who came to the lead scorer’s defense.

“I’ve never seen that before, and I don’t think I’ll ever see it again,” said Michael Porter Jr. to head coach Michael Malone, in the aftermath of the Clippers game. Meanwhile, in a separate statement, Jamal Murray said, “He’s doing everything he can. Not every night’s gonna go your way.”

Sure enough, an improvement started to appear in the aftermath of the matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. By the time the Nuggets’s regular season was over, their losing streak was a thing of the past.

Losing the season opener at your own home can be disheartening for anyone. However, the regular season has only just begun, and the road ahead is still filled with several opportunities to utilize. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone believes so as well, since he stated, “I don’t think there’s any need for panic. I think the bigger question is, are we executing the way we need to be? I think there are some things that we can watch film of and try to be better at.”

From the looks of it, the team seems to have found a weakness. Whether they improve upon the same is a question that will only be answered in due course.