Denver Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic has established himself as the best player in the world. This decade has arguably been the decade of the big Serbian fella. He has won three MVPs in the decade and has a chance to win his fourth this season.
However, as things stand, that is far from the minds of Jokic and Nuggets' fans. What is at the forefront of people's minds is when Jokic will get back on the court. Jokic will miss his fourth straight game on Sunday for the Nuggets while nursing a left ankle issue.
At first, this was no worry for the 30-year-old superstar; however, since he missed the last week of basketball, it begs the question of whether this could hurt the Nuggets in the long run.
The simple answer is a resounding yes. Jokic is not only the best player in the world, but he is arguably the most important and valuable. The Nuggets are dominant and a contender in the league because of Jokic's play alone.
Jokic continues to average a triple-double this season. With 11 games left in the season, he could finish in the top three or four in scoring, rebounds, and assists. His ankle issue could be a bigger deal than we all thought. Prior to the Lakers match on Wednesday, ESPN's Tim MacMahon noted not only how Jokic's ankle looked but his elbow as well.
"I got an up-close look at it when he was warming up," MacMahon said. "And there were several different colors of it. I mean, it was black and blue for sure. And then he's been dealing with an ankle for a while."
While his absence has a huge effect on the result of the games, Denver has bigger problems than that. Their defense is not even close to where it needs to be to win a series, let alone make a deep playoff run.
Denver ranks 21st in defensive rating this season at 115.0. Their performance has been below average, and there's little chance they will turn it around come playoff time.
So far, without Jokic, the Nuggets have a 1-2 record, including two blowout losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers. Jokic's return to the lineup would do wonders, but it wouldn't solve all of Denver's problems.
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This story was originally published March 22, 2025 at 3:04 PM.