Nikola Jokic has built his reputation as the NBA’s most complete player, a three-time MVP whose playmaking and scoring define modern offense. But with the Denver Nuggets down 3-1 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, the conversation has shifted from dominance to accountability. For a player widely labeled the best in the league, this series is quickly becoming a referendum on whether his leadership matches his talent.

Most analysts picked Denver to win this series comfortably, especially after Minnesota’s Game 4 injuries. But that narrative flipped quickly, and Paul Pierce added his voice to the criticism. The 2008 champion questioned how Denver failed to capitalize against a shorthanded Wolves team and pointed directly at Jokic and head coach David Adelman’s group.

“I actually picked Denver coming out of the whole West, seriously, with the way they finished the season,” Pierce said on the No Fouls Given podcast earlier today. It was just this last game, like that’s what bothered me. When you lose DiVincenzo, when you lose Ant Edwards, you’re supposed to win that game. Like, yeah, I get it, you had some amazing games from Ayo, and you know, Rudy is playing exceptional defense. But like I said on the road to the championship, you’re going to need a little luck. This is a window. I still think Denver should win this series with no DiVincenzo, that’s like damn near 40-50 points that you’re missing out on in the lineup for Minnesota.”

Denver finished the regular season as the No. 3 seed in the West at 54-28, setting expectations for a deep playoff run. Instead, four games into this series, they trail 3-1 heading into a must-win Game 5 at Ball Arena. Game 4 turned the pressure up even further as Minnesota cruised to a 112-96 win despite losing key players to injury. Even with a depleted lineup, the Timberwolves controlled the game from start to finish.

A major reason for that dominance was Ayo Dosunmu, who delivered a career playoff performance with 43 points, stepping up in the absence of Minnesota’s primary scorers and flipping the pressure entirely onto Denver.

That is exactly why Pierce and others are questioning Jokic’s leadership in this moment. The expectation for a player of his caliber is to take control of a series like this, especially against an undermanned opponent, a standard that has also been applied to stars like Kevin Durant in similar playoff situations.

“If Denver is to lose this series, as much as we talk about Bron and KD and Steph, like Joker, like something has to be said if we’re saying you’re the best player in the league and you can’t get past the first round without their two best players from Minnesota. Two of their best players. So if they don’t get out this round, which I still believe they can, then a lot of this is on the Joker,” the Boston Celtics great concluded.

Can Nikola Jokic flip this series before it’s too late?

The issue is not a lack of production from Denver’s stars. Jokić is still putting up elite numbers, averaging 25 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 7.8 assists, while Jamal Murray has added 26.5 points per game in the series. The gap has come elsewhere, as the supporting cast, including key pieces like Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon, has not delivered consistent impact.

Denver now needs to rediscover the balance they showed in Game 1, where ball movement, defense, and bench contribution all clicked. The tension in the series has also escalated, highlighted by Jokić’s late-game confrontation with Jaden McDaniels in Game 4 after a last-second layup, an incident that led to multiple ejections and added another layer to an already physical matchup.

Game 5 is no longer just about survival for Denver. It is about proving that their best player can still dictate a series when everything is on the line. If the Nuggets fall short, the conversation around Jokić will shift from how great he is to whether he can consistently lead a contender when it matters most.