MIAMI — Nikola Jokic will be absent for only a few weeks, bringing a sense of relief to the Denver Nuggets.
The team’s star center has been diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee, as announced by the organization on Tuesday, mentioning that the three-time MVP will undergo a reevaluation in four weeks.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Jokic is also dealing with a bone bruise in the hyperextended left knee.
This clearly impacts an already undermanned Nuggets team, but it does not represent a season-ending injury nor does it require any surgical intervention. Should Jokic be out for a month, he would miss around 16 games yet might return in time for the NBA All-Star Game in February.
Standing at 6 feet 11 inches, Jokic is widely regarded as the current top player in the world, sustained his injury with around three seconds remaining in the first half during Denver’s 147-123 defeat to Miami on Monday night.
Jokic was positioned fifth in the NBA for scoring this season with an average of 29.6 points per game as of Tuesday, and he leads the league in both rebounds and assists, averaging 12.2 boards and 11.0 assists per game. Oscar Robertson is the only other player in the history of the NBA to have averaged at least 12 rebounds and 11 assists throughout an entire season, achieving this with the Cincinnati Royals during the 1961-62 season.
“Clearly, it’s a part of the sport,” stated Nuggets guard Jamal Murray on Monday night after the game, before the team learned about the seriousness of Jokic’s injury. “But we never want to witness it happen. … Next man in line. We must concentrate on what we have here.”
Denver has five games remaining in a seven-game road stretch, which continues on Wednesday when the Nuggets take on the Toronto Raptors.
Jokic found himself alone beneath the basket and seemed to move forward to assist Denver’s Spencer Jones in defending against a drive from Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. as the second quarter neared its end. In the process of retreating, Jones stepped on Jokic’s left foot, causing the center’s knee to appear to buckle.
Jokic fell to the ground while clutching his knee. He was assisted to stand up and then made his way to the locker room under his own strength but was noticeably limping.
Denver has been without three potential starters: Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Cam Johnson. Despite losing four of their last six games, the Nuggets remain in third place in the Western Conference with a record of 22-10, having had Jokic participate in all 32 of those matches.
This situation is bound to change, of course. When Jokic is not in the lineup, Denver has a record of 13-23 over the last five seasons, and any decline in the following weeks could negatively impact the Nuggets’ playoff standing. As of Tuesday, the Nuggets held a slim three-game lead over Phoenix, which is currently sitting in seventh place in the conference.
“You just have to remain with it as a team and as a group,” David Adelman, the coach of the Nuggets, stated on Monday evening. The best way to support your teammates who are out is to recognize them while you play, so you really have to stick with it as a team and a group. We will go from there. This is a component of the NBA.
What could have been Jokic’s best season of his career is cut short by the injury. In addition to leading the league in rebounds and assists, he is shooting a career-high 43.5% from three-point range and leads the NBA in true shooting percentage, which takes into account both free throws and 3-pointers, at little over 71%.
Adelman stated a few hours prior to the injury, “It is like a desire for efficiency and consistency, and I think that is whether he admits it or not, he sees it as a craft,” prior to Monday’s game. “He is attempting to view it as something like, ‘What can I improve upon over the course of the year?’ And I believe it is been truly amazing to watch him throughout the years, not be content with that, and take on new challenges.”
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