Nikola Jokic is the Denver Nuggets’ be-all and end-all, and that’s how the franchise approaches the upcoming season and the ones in the future. Nevertheless, general manager Calvin Booth is aware that these years go by instantly, all the more reason to have a sense of urgency.
“In a best-case scenario, I think Nikola has a prime 10-year contention window,” said Nuggets GM Calvin Booth, per Baxter Holmes. “I think we’re about halfway through it. So, we probably have about five more similar shots and all the shots count. We hit one of them, that’s great. The earlier we hit it, the more we can have conversations about other things, but it’s going to be incredibly hard to win another one.”
Realistically, when did that 10-year window start? If 2019 was the beginning of Joker’s prime years, this season is the fifth year of that window. The Serbian big man collected every accolade that mattered within that time frame: MVP awards in 2021, 2022, and 2024, and a championship plus a Finals MVP in 2023.