Since returning to the Denver Nuggets’ starting lineup as the lone big, Nikola Jokic has fueled an offensive revival, putting up gaudy numbers that have translated to measurable team success.
Which is why the hip injury he suffered against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night is a huge deal:
#Nuggets Injury Update:
Nikola Jokic – Left Hip Strain – X-Rays Negative (MRI Tomorrow)
— NuggetsPR (@NuggetsPR) January 27, 2017
Though nothing sinister has been determined, Jokic won’t be with the Nuggets as they finish out their home-and-home against the Suns on Saturday night, per Adam Mares of Denver Stiffs:
Malone said that Jokic will not travel with the team to PHX and LAL. Same with Mudiay.
— Adam Mares (@Adam_Mares) January 27, 2017
Denver has a one-game lead on the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot, so any time he misses stands to cost the team ground. Because make no mistake, the Nuggets are much better with him.
Jokic’s return to the starting five has triggered a quasi-defensive slide, but the Nuggets weren’t very good on the less glamorous end to begin with. And they’re playing like one of the best offensive outfits in the league when he’s on the court, according to NBA.com.
Had he played more minutes this year, in fact, Jokic would have generated All-Star buzz. In 19 games since rejoining the starting five, he’s averaging an absurd 20.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists on 62.5 percent shooting, including a 37.5 percent clip from beyond the arc. So even though he isn’t treated as such, we must compare his absence from the Nuggets, however brief, to that of an All-Star’s stay on the sidelines—a sign of both how far Denver has come with him and how screwed it could be without him.
