Anthony believes that Jokic's injury presents a chance for the Nuggets to perform at their best without relying on the Serbian superstar.
The Denver Nuggets are about to face an uphill climb to try to survive and maintain their competitive standing for a significant stretch without the leadership of Nikola Jokic.
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony
Position: SF
Age: 41
Height: 203 cm
Weight: 104 kg
Birth place: Maryland, United States of America
Although it appears truly challenging, Carmelo Anthony sees it as a blessing in disguise for the entire Nuggets group to prove themselves outside Jokic's massive shadow.
"For me, this is not about whether Denver can survive. It's really about what this moment reveals for the other guys, about Denver's identity, about the margins, about their championship pedigree," the Hall of Famer and Nuggets great said on NBA on NBC. "What does this reveal for the team? How are we going to approach this without our leading scorer, without our guy who’s our spacer? He's everything on that team.
"Now, we have to figure out as a team where this puts us because Jokic being out changes the geometry of the whole league."
It has been reported already that Jokic will be inactive for at least four weeks after sustaining a hyperextended left leg.
While this is already the best-case scenario, the Nuggets are set to shoulder major pressure on how they can hold the line atop the competitive Western Conference ladder with the three-time MVP on the sidelines.
For years, Denver's system and identity revolved around Jokic. And this year, it remains the same. The Serbian superstar is in the midst of yet another historic individual season by averaging 29.6 points, 12.2 boards and 11.0 assists, which allowed the Nuggets to earn a 22-10 record despite the key absences of starters Christian Braun (ankle), Aaron Gordon (hamstring) and Cam Johnson (knee).
"Teams are looking at this like here's our opportunity to close the gap with the Denver Nuggets. It's a major loss, but this is the opportunity to see what everybody else is going to do and how everybody else is going to step up.
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