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Nuggets Breathe Sigh of Relief: Jokic Out Weeks, Not Season, with Hyperextended Knee
Denver Nuggets fans can collectively exhale: superstar center Nikola Jokic is expected to miss only a few weeks of play after being diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee and a bone bruise. The team announced Tuesday that the three-time MVP will be reevaluated in four weeks, providing a much-needed silver lining to what could have been a far more devastating injury.
While a blow to the already shorthanded Nuggets, the injury is not season-ending and will not require surgery. If Jokic is sidelined for a month, he would miss approximately 16 games but could potentially return to the court before February’s NBA All-Star Game.
The 6-foot-11 Jokic, widely considered one of the best players in the world, sustained the injury with just three seconds left in the first half of Denver’s 147-123 loss to Miami on Monday night. He appeared to step forward to assist in defending a drive by Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. when teammate Spencer Jones inadvertently stepped on Jokic’s left foot while backtracking, causing his knee to buckle. Jokic collapsed to the court, gripping his knee, and was later helped to his feet before limping to the locker room.
Jokic entered Tuesday ranked fifth in the NBA in scoring this season, averaging 29.6 points per game. He also leads the league with averages of 12.2 rebounds and 11 assists per contest, a statistical feat only achieved once before in NBA history by Oscar Robertson in the 1961-62 season.
“Obviously, it’s part of the game,” Nuggets guard Jamal Murray commented Monday night, prior to the full extent of Jokic’s injury being known. “But we never want to see it happen. …
Next man up. We’ve got to focus on what’s in here.”
The Nuggets are currently playing without three potential starters-Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Cam Johnson. Despite dropping four of their last six games, Denver holds the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference with a 22-10 record, with Jokic having played in all 32 games prior to his injury.
Jokic’s absence will undoubtedly present a challenge. Over the past five seasons, Denver holds a 13-23 record when he is not in the lineup. Any significant slide in the coming weeks could impact the Nuggets’ playoff positioning, as they were only three games ahead of the seventh-place Phoenix Suns as of Tuesday.
“You just have to stay with it as a team and as a group,” said Nuggets coach David Adelman on Monday night. “And honestly, you have to stay with it as a team and a group because that’s how you best support your teammates that are out – by honoring them when you play.
So, we’ll move on from there. This is part of the NBA.”
The injury interrupts what has been a career-best season for Jokic. In addition to leading the league in rebounds and assists, he’s shooting a career-high 43.5% from 3-point range and leads the NBA with a true shooting percentage of just over 71%.
“It’s like a quest for efficiency and consistency, and I think that’s whether he admits it or not, he sees it as a craft,” Adelman remarked before Monday’s game, just hours before the injury occurred. “He’s trying to look at it as something, ‘What can I get better over the year at?’ And I think it’s been really impressive to watch him over these years, not be satisfied with it, and attack new journeys.”
The Nuggets continue their seven-game road trip Wednesday when they visit the Toronto Raptors, facing the challenge of maintaining their strong start without their pivotal superstar.