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Nikola Jokic’s ‘Frustrations’ Revealed After Nuggets Fire Michael Malone

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated Apr 8, 2025 7:03 PM ET

The Denver Nuggets stunned the NBA world on Tuesday when Michael Malone was fired as head coach. Malone has the most wins in Nuggets history. He also led the franchise to the 2023 championship.

Denver has three games left in the regular season against the Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets. Nikola Jokic and Co. are in fourth place in the Western Conference standings.

The first time we will hear from Jokic about the Malone firing will be on Wednesday after the Nuggets-Kings game. However, there have already been some leaks about what the three-time MVP has been feeling this season.

According to The Athletic, Jokic has been frustrated with the Nuggets' defensive commitment and performance this season.

"But league sources said there had been significant frustration within the locker room at how the Nuggets were playing, particularly defensively," per The Athletic. "The Nuggets were just 20th in defensive rating. Jokic has been frustrated with the team’s defensive commitment and performance this season."

Denver is 25th in the NBA in points per game allowed and 22nd in defensive rating. The team is giving up 117.1 points per contest.

Jokic leads the Nuggets in defensive rating at 110.9. It appears the seven-time All-Star wants his teammates to play better defense moving forward.

The 30-year-old Jokic is averaging 30.0 points, 12.8 rebounds and 10.2 assists this season. He's shooting 57.7% from the field, 41.5% from 3 and 80.3% from the foul line.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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