Charles Barkley Blasts David Adelman Over Jokic, Denver Down 3-1
Charles Barkley ripped david adelman after Game 4, saying the Denver Nuggets coach has “done an awful job helping the Joker” as Minnesota moved ahead 3-1 in the series. The criticism landed while Nikola Jokic was being forced into difficult shots all game long, and Denver’s margin for error narrowed with the Timberwolves one win from finishing the job.
Barkley Targets Adelman
Barkley did not stop at the general complaint. “I think coach Adelman has to stop just giving the ball to Joker because that’s not his game,” he said, then pointed Denver toward a different answer against Minnesota’s defense. “Attack Rudy – that will help the Joker free up because even when he’s making a shot, it’s really difficult.”
That critique put the focus on how Denver is using its best player. Jokic has already had two comebacks from down 3-1 in his NBA career, but Barkley’s point was that the current approach is asking too much of him against a team built to crowd his spots and make him work for everything.
Gobert And The Minnesota Wall
Minnesota’s side of the matchup has made the pressure obvious. The Timberwolves were forcing Jokic to hit difficult shots throughout the game, with Rudy Gobert defending him more physically and the Nuggets’ offense leaning too heavily on direct entries to the center.
Denver’s talent edge remains narrow and specific: Jokic and Jamal Murray are the Nuggets’ All-Stars, while Minnesota counters with Julius Randle and Gobert. That makes the coaching choices around the pick and roll harder to hide, especially when the offense stalls and Jokic has to create against size and length instead of getting cleaner help.
Game 4 Pressure
The series reached this point even though Minnesota lost Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo to injury in Game 4. The 3-1 lead still stands, and that leaves Adelman facing a simple task: get Denver better looks before the series slips away.
Jokic’s past two 3-1 comebacks offer Denver a path, but Barkley’s criticism raised the standard for how that path has to start. The Nuggets need more than repeated post-ups and late-clock isolations, and the next stretch will show whether Adelman leans into the pick and roll Barkley demanded or keeps the same approach in a series Minnesota is already controlling.
