Three MVP titles and a championship, yet Nikola Jokic’s status as one of the league’s greats has come into question. But a subpar shooting performance and the Denver Nuggets trailing in the first-round series have planted doubt among fans and analysts. After Paul Pierce and Bill Simmons, former Lakers star Nick Young also chimed in on the raging debate.

“Antman’s injury saved Denver and Joker’s legacy,” said Young on the recent episode of Gil’s Arena. “Him (Edwards) being hurt, you see how happy they (Nuggets) playing out there, he hasn’t had no triple doubles until last game. That’s the front runner in Denver, their front runners, you can tell the energy has changed playing with more confidence now, when the big bad wolf is down you ain’t got deal with. And you ain’t got to deal with him I feel like. If Ant-Man was there, I think the season would be over with, but the energy was off, Joker fighting at the end of the game. They look like they damn near gave up.”

The former NBA player has been vocal about the matchup on Gil’s Arena. He recently declared Edwards as the league’s “most complete player,” citing his motor and defensive competition. That’s why an injury to the Minnesota Timberwolves star affects how they play. Taking him off the floor changes everything. Minnesota without Edwards is like a championship offense missing its primary engine. It affected the Joker and the Nuggets, who suffered three straight losses in the Round 1 series and were trailing 3-1 at one point.

In fact, the Game 4 loss was also disappointing because the Wolves had lost Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo to injury. Yet Denver’s defense allowed Ayo Dosunmu to score 43 off the bench. Nikola Jokic began the series with a triple-double, and it resulted in a victory. Then Rudy Gobert became too much of a challenge to contend with as he converted just 23-68 shots in the next three games. It also involved 3-20 from beyond the arc and two games of sub-40% shooting.

How can one forget his late-game altercation with Jaden McDaniels in Game 4, which fueled criticism about his composure and leadership. In Game 5 at home in Ball Arena, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets dominated again. He returned to his vintage shooting form with a triple-double on Monday night. And the Nuggets’ run of another championship is still alive.

Nikola Jokic faces heat

Denver has its own issues. Peyton Watson has missed the entire series, and Aaron Gordon is clearly not at full strength after missing Game 3 and playing limited minutes in Game 4. This means that Jokic and Murray, who already aren’t great defenders, have to work even harder on that end of the floor. That toll was visible. Even after losing both DiVincenzo and Edwards, Minnesota still outscored Denver 62-42 in the second half of Game 4. That led to questions from Celtics legend Paul Pierce.

“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, “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.”

In Game 5, he put those doubts on hold as the Serbian big man delivered a masterclass of 27 points, 16 assists, and 12 rebounds. It was his 221st triple-double of his career, which ties with Russell Westbrook for the most combined regular-season and playoff triple-doubles in NBA history. Nikola Jokic will have to be on his toes to close out Game 6 and 7, as they have lost two Game 7s in the past two seasons.