The Utah Jazz were absolutely outmatched on Friday night against the Denver Nuggets, who closed the night with a 129-93 win.
In the game, three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic played the first three quarters and had an easy, game-high 27 points to go with 14 rebounds, six assists and four steals.
With the Jazz shooting just 17% from long range on the second night of a back-to-back, four of the Nuggets starters, including Jokic, didn’t have to play the fourth quarter.
When I watch Jokic play I can’t help but think back to the 2014 draft. At that time, Jokic had been playing on a developmental team in Serbia (kind of like what the G League Ignite was to the NBA).
He had gained a reputation for being an incredible passer and having an outstanding feel for the game, but his usage was low and there were tons of questions about his body, his lack of athleticism and whether he could be a more offensively productive player.
The Nuggets selected Jokic with the 41st pick as a draft-and-stash player. They had his NBA rights but wanted to see how he would develop over another season in Europe.
Well, his usage went up, he became a focal point of his team, his shooting numbers increased and it was clear that he was more than just a smart post passer with a high IQ.
The next year Jokic came to the NBA in 2015 and wasn’t a regular starter for the Nuggets until midway through that rookie year, and his season averages don’t pop off the page as future MVP numbers.
Once he was a full-time starter his rookie season, he averaged 10.5 points and three assists per game.
Fast forward and we all know what happened and how prolific Jokic has become. He is arguably the best player in the NBA today, has been for a few years and has put up numbers that rival some of the greatest of all time.
He’ll be a first ballot hall of famer one day, and deservedly so.
[Jazz could have 2 players on the 2025 All-Rookie teams](https://www.deseret.com/sports/2025/03/28/utah-jazz-rookies-nba-all-rookie-teams/)
This is all important to keep in mind because players are not always what they are when drafted, they are not always what they are after a year or even two of development and some of the things that are looked at as flaws and weaknesses in certain players are not concerning when they excel in other areas.
If you go back and look at some of Jokic’s [draft profiles](https://www.nbadraft.net/players/nikola-jokic/), he is praised for his IQ, work ethic, passing ability and feel for the game but slammed for a number of reasons. He is described as slow, unathletic, and a defensive liability who is weak around the basket and overall not strong enough.
Now, I’m not saying that the Jazz have a future MVP on their team or that they are going to be able to find a Jokic-type or Jokic-level player in the second round.
But it’s important, as the Jazz continue to work through developing players and trying to tap into the potential of their current youngsters and future draft picks who will join the team, to remember that sometimes it takes time to uncover the real potential of a player.
Of course, drafting a blue-chip prospect who already pops off the page like Cooper Flagg would be absolutely wonderful for a team like the Jazz, but sometimes the best prospects are the ones that develop slowly and it’s not always as clear on Day 1 what a player is capable of.