The 2023 NBA Champions are having a topsy-turvy season, and Nikola Jokic finds his team fifth in the West with a 37-24 record. The Nuggets are 4-6 in their last 10 games, and Joker appeared frustrated after recent losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Much of that stems from Cameron Johnson’s durability issues. However, former Seattle Supersonics/Houston Rockets veteran Eddie A. Johnson has come out claiming that the 29-year-old forward’s shortcomings and the Nuggets’ inconsistencies are down to Jokic’s attitude.

“Not shocked at the struggle,” Johnson wrote on X in response to Johnson’s interview. “Everyone thinks it’s easy playing with a superstar that needs to touch the ball on every possession. Just look at what they had in MP. Jr. On another team. They got on him for struggling.”

Johnson might have a point in his criticism.

But before we address that, this isn’t the first time the NBA legend has publicly criticized Jokic. Back in 2025, Johnson claimed that the Nuggets would’ve “never” fired Michael Malone “without the ok from Jokic.” He drew a similar parallel to how such narratives surround fellow veterans in LeBron James and Kevin Durant, too.

In November, Johnson implied that Jokic was ‘fat’ on air.

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“It’s hard to know how tall Joker is because he’s so wide,” the 1989 NBA Sixth Man of the Year said on air.

Although tonight’s perspective does not directly point the finger at Jokic as the root of the problem, it does suggest that players looking to find their rhythm might struggle to keep up with a star at the very top of his game. The Nuggets’ overreliance on Jokic also led Michael Porter Jr. to leave the team (often cited as salary-shedding), as he was the odd man out in the Denver core alongside Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon.

However, Jokic is performing at an elite level this campaign. He’s averaging 28.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 10.5 assists in 45 games this campaign, all above his career averages. David Adelman’s boys have a 27-18 record with the Serbian starting this year. While there’s no doubt that Jokic and Murray are irreplaceable, the coach has spoken about leaders within his team needing to lead by more than example to help their teammates.

Dejected Cameron Johnson opens up on struggles after ankle injuries, assuring strong self-belief

Former Brooklyn Nets man Cameron Johnson arrived in Denver last summer as part of a trade that saw Michael Porter Jr. move to Brooklyn. He’s only managed seven points in the last two games (zero points in 23 minutes against the Timberwolves on Sunday), as he struggles with inflammation in his right ankle.

“It’s a lot of things, man,” Johnson told reporters. “One is understanding that you’ve been through it before. Understanding that every time that you felt down that you don’t really feel like you’re seeing light at the end of the tunnel, just feel like you keep letting yourself down, letting your teammates down.”

Johnson was seen dejected and in poor spirits after recent games, but his limitations were evident due to fatigue. Coach Adelman also came to his defense after yesterday’s disastrous outing, but he maintains he trusts Johnson as the Nuggets approach a crucial juncture in their season.

Johnson, for his part, remains hopeful he can turn things around sooner rather than later.

“It hasn’t knocked me out of the game completely yet, hasn’t forced me to hang it up, hasn’t forced me to miss every shot for the rest of my career,” Johnson said. “So I just got to kind of continue on with that trust and continue to work and forget about it.”

The North Carolina alum needs his teammates to come in clutch and give him the boost he needs. Johnson has struggled with injuries, and it’ll be his fourth straight year playing less than 60 regular-season games. He needs his body to respond to the rehab. He has been ruled out for the Utah Jazz game on Monday, but when he returns, Johnson needs to silence his naysayers and show them his true value.