NBA Panic Meter: Why Nuggets, Heat, Suns should be worried after just two weeks — SkimNews
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- New York Knicks opened 3-4, lost all four games by single digits and fell from fourth to 28th in late-clock shooting efficiency; the analysis assigns their panic level 3/10.
- Utah Jazz sit 1-6 with the league’s 29th-ranked offense in stretches where they are trying to win, yet receive 5/10 on the panic meter because the roster is young, asset-rich and not built around this season.
- Nikola Jokić is 7-of-31 from three, below 22% on defensive rebounds and posting single-digit assists while tying his career high for turnovers per game; his runner and hook shot have also dropped sharply.
- Denver Nuggets carry a 6/10 panic rating, with the analysis tying title contention directly to Jokić’s level and calling even an idealized version of the roster flawed.
- Phoenix Suns became the first 2026-27 team whose dysfunction reached the press; despite a reported locker-room complaint about lacking a point guard, Mark Williams’ absence and reduced rotation roles have compounded Phoenix’s lost high-effort identity.
- Collin Gillespie helps Phoenix assist on almost 74% of made field goals versus below 60% without him; Devin Booker and Miles Bridges each gain at least eight percentage points in true shooting when he is on the floor.
Why it matters: For Phoenix, the article’s prescription is specific: start Collin Gillespie, whose presence lifts the assist rate on made field goals from below 60% to almost 74% and adds at least eight true-shooting points for Booker and Miles Bridges. That targets the reported point-guard complaint, but not Phoenix’s deeper center and effort problems.
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