Nikola Jokic will only miss a few weeks, which is certainly the reason Denver Nuggets breathe a sigh of relief.
The Nuggets' superstar center has been diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee, the team said Tuesday, adding that the three-time MVP will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
It's an obvious blow to the already short-handed Nuggets, but it's not a season-ending problem or one that will require surgery. If Jokic misses a month, that means he's out for about 16 games but could play again until February. NBA All Star Game.
The 6-foot-11 Jokic, now considered by many to be the best player in the world, was injured with about three seconds left in the first half of Denver's 147-123 loss in Miami on Monday night.
Jokic entered Tuesday ranked fifth in the NBA in scoring this season with 29.6 points per game, while also leading the league with averages of 12.2 rebounds and 11 assists per game. The only player in NBA history to average at least 12 rebounds and 11 assists in an entire season was Oscar Robertson of the Cincinnati Royals in the 1961–62 season.
“Obviously it's part of the game,” Nuggets guard Jamal Murray said Monday night after the game, before the team learned the severity of Jokic's injury. “But we never want that to happen… Next man. We have to focus on what's here.”
Denver has five games remaining on a seven-game road trip, one of which resumes Wednesday when the Nuggets visit the Toronto Raptors.
Jokic was alone under the basket and appeared to step forward to help Denver's Spencer Jones defend a shot from Miami's Jaime Jaquez Jr. as time wound down in the second quarter. As Jones stepped back, he stepped on Jokic's left foot, and the center's knee appeared to buckle slightly.
Jokic collapsed on the court, clutching his knee. He was helped to his feet, after which he made it to the locker room under his own power, but was clearly limping.
Denver played without three potential starters in Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun and Cam Johnson. Even after the Nuggets have lost four of their last six games, they still sit in third place in the Western Conference at 22-10, and Jokic has played in all 32 of those games.
This is obviously about to change. Denver is 13-23 in the last five seasons when Jokic isn't on the roster, and any loss in the coming weeks will hurt the Nuggets' playoff position. The Nuggets entered Tuesday just three games ahead of Phoenix, who currently sits in seventh place in the conference.
“You just have to stay with it as a team and as a group,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said Monday night. “And honestly, you have to stay with it as a team and as a group because that's how you best support your teammates that are on the sidelines – by respecting them when you're playing. So, we'll move on. That's part of the NBA.”
The injury interrupts what may be Jokic's best season of his career. Not only does he lead the league in rebounds and assists, but he's shooting a career-best 43.5% from three-point range and leads the NBA in true shooting percentage (a formula that takes into account three-pointers and free throws) at just over 71%.
“It's like a quest for efficiency and consistency, and I think whether he admits it or not, he views it as a craft,” Adelman said before Monday's game, a couple of hours before the injury occurred. “He tries to look at it as something like, 'What can I get better at in a year?' And I think it's been very impressive to watch him all these years and not rest on his laurels and go on new journeys.”
