Denver Nuggets: 2018-19 player grades for Nikola Jokic

The Denver Nuggets finished second in the Western Conference this season, and it was thanks to the excellent work of center Nikola Jokic.

The Denver Nuggets finished second in the Western Conference on the back of a much-improved defense with an even better offense. It all started and ended with center Nikola Jokic. In his fourth season, Jokic made his first All-Star appearance, and he was named to the First Team All-NBA for the first time in his career. His final stat line of 20.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game led the team in every category.

He regressed in the 3-point shooting department, but he made up for it by shooting a better mark from 2-point range, as he went from 53.8 percent last year to 56.9 percent this year. The offense ran through him, as evidenced by his team-high 27.4 percent usage rate. While most teams like the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets were focusing on going smaller, the Nuggets were playing bigger to get the mismatch of Jokic on a smaller defender.

This was the Joker’s best season thus far, and he’s only getting better with each year that goes by. 2019-20 has the potential for him to average a triple-double if the offensive pieces around him continue to improve. He will have to do some work on the defensive end we’re nitpicking, but he does a good job of offsetting those negatives with his play on the other end of the floor.

Here’s a look at his strengths, weaknesses, highlights and final grade for the 2018-19 campaign.