The Denver Nuggets suffered a major blow recently when it was announced that star big man Nikola Jokic would be sidelined due to a knee injury. Jokic initially suffered the injury during the Nuggets game against the Miami Heat a couple of weeks ago.
However, there is increasing optimism around the team that Nikola Jokic might be able to make his return to the Nuggets lineup from injury in the coming weeks, as per Shams Charania of ESPN. Jokic recently resumed on-court activities as he continues his rehab.
“A big development here, Nikola Jokic has resumed on-court workouts for Denver, and he’s right on schedule, if not a little bit ahead of schedule of making his return to the lineup by the end of this month,” Charania reports. “That’s about that four-week initial early timetable that they had. The Nuggets are optimistic Nikola Jokic will be able to return by that late January mark. He’s making great progress, rapid progress. If he is able to make it back by late January, it would also give him a window to be eligible for postseason awards.”
Article Continues Below
Jokic suffered a hyper-extended knee, with the initial prognosis having him out for at least four weeks. He had played in all 32 games for the Nuggets up until that point, and has missed eight games now as he continues his rehab. The Nuggets have 10 games remaining in the month of January, and if Jokic ends up missing all of them, he would fall short of the NBA’s 65-game requirement for postseason awards. He is an MVP candidate and an All-NBA player.
Prior to his injury, Jokic had been averaging 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 11.0 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 60.5 percent from the field, 43.5 percent from the 3-point line and 85.3 percent from the free-throw line. He is leading the league in rebounds and assists.