David Adelman Addresses Nikola Jokic's Big Turnover Problem

The Denver Nuggets went into Wednesday's matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies by losing four of their previous five games, and everyone knew they needed to head into the All-Star break with a win. Fortunately, the Nuggets pulled out a six-point win, but it was not pretty.

Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic stuffed the statsheet by nearly dropping a quadruple-double, and not the extraordinary kind. Jokic finished with 26 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists, and nine turnovers. Jokic has not committed 16 total turnovers in his last two games.

After Wednesday's win, David Adelman addressed Jokic's recent turnover problem and explained what is happening.

"They attacked him when he turned his back. Again, he's still coming back off the injury, conditioning. I ran him the whole first quarter just to kind of do something different with him. Sometimes you're trying to win a game and help somebody out because we're not practicing, that's a way to condition the guy. That being said, his turnovers were high, but he had 26-15-11, made some huge plays at the end, made his free-throws when they mattered. I was proud of him, but he fought through it as well," Adelman said.

Jokic turns it over, but the Nuggets get a win

The Nuggets committed 14 turnovers as a team, compared to the Grizzlies' six, as Jokic himself had more giveaways than every other starter on the floor combined. Of course, his turnovers can be blown out of proportion because not many players in the NBA have the ball in their hands as much as he does, and in a game like Wednesday night's, it can get sloppy.

"I'm not concerned, we had some guys that were exhausted," Adelman said. "... My concern was the turnovers more than [giving up three-pointers]. We had 15 [turnovers] for 22 [points allowed off turnovers] and only six to their four, which leads to a lack of activity. On their end, we just couldn't take care of it as a team. ... Most important thing about tonight is that we wanted to get a win going into break. And that's what they did."

Not only is it great to find a sliver of hope heading into the All-Star break, but the Nuggets also moved back into third place in the West with Wednesday's win. Adelman made it clear that everyone is ready for the All-Star break, not just because Jokic and Jamal Murray will be competing in Los Angeles this weekend, but because they all need a week-long rest.

Jokic, especially, should come out of the All-Star break well-rested and a bit more recovered from his injuries, so we will likely see a much better version of him next week.

Jokic turns it over, but the Nuggets get a win

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