The Denver Nuggets typically go as superstar center Nikola Jokic goes, so if he doesn’t go, they don’t go. And right now, he’s not going. The potential MVP suffered a knee injury in Denver’s latest loss, and while that loss stings, the future is bleak if Jokic has to miss time.
Nikola Jokic suffers unfortunate, unlucky injury
It’s one thing if a player gets hurt doing something normal during a game, like if they fall after a hard foul and sustain an elbow injury. But when it’s something that doesn’t typically happen and shouldn’t happen, it’s way more frustrating.
That’s what happened with Nikola Jokic. The MVP frontrunner stepped on his own teammate. Spencer Jones was defending a drive by Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Heat when Jokic stepped up to help down low. In doing so, the backtracking Jones stepped on Jokic’s left foot, and his knee buckled.
The center immediately went down, clutching his knee. That is one of the worst sights in sports, and it usually means incredibly bad news. He was helped up and limped off with assistance. He did not return for the second half and still led the Nuggets in points with 21.
Nuggets coach opens up
Any coach would have a hard time replacing someone like Nikola Jokic. He came into last week’s Monday’s contest averaging 29.9 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 11.1 assists. The superstar and three-time MVP was well on his way to averaging a triple-double. He even had eight assists and five rebounds before going down, so he was on pace for another in that game.
“Immediately, he knew something was wrong,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said following the loss via ESPN. “Hey, this is part of the NBA. Anybody who gets hurt in this game, it’s kind of gut-wrenching, especially somebody as special as he is. We’ll find out more tomorrow. We’ll move on as a team. Obviously, right now, I’m more concerned just about him as a person and the disappointment of going through something like that.”
The Nuggets got an MRI on Jokic soon after, and it revealed a hyperextension of the left knee. He avoided the worst-case scenario, but that’s still a four-week injury at least. That could be substantial in the loaded Western Conference. But for now, all anyone can do is wait.
“It’s just part of this process,” Adelman said. “You don’t get definitive answers right after these things happen. I know he’s an extremely special player that people want updates on right away; makes total sense to me. But we’ll go through the process properly, for him and for our team.”
Nuggets continue to hurt
The Nuggets have already suffered injuries. They were down three starters already on that Monday: Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Cameron Johnson. If they lose Nikola Jokic, too, they might be in trouble. “Tonight my mind will wander,” Adelman had said. “And it’ll wonder about what we have to do going forward if he is out for a while or for a long time.”
Jokic has only missed 36 games in the last five seasons, so this is an unfortunate, untimely, and perhaps unprecedented blow. “He’s not just a big part of what we do, but almost everything that we do,” Nuggets star point guard Jamal Murray said. “We just want to see him healthy, and everybody in here is ready to step up.”
In the 36 games the star center has missed, the Nuggets have gone 13-23, so they’re not exactly equipped to deal with his absence. Plus, if he misses more time than expected, he might be ineligible for the NBA MVP or All-NBA teams. Even if he remains eligible, he could lose a ton of ground to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or even Luka Doncic.
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