Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic And Emmanuel Mudiay Earn All-Rookie Honors

Denver Nuggets rookies Nikola Jokic and Emmanuel Mudiay were voted as two of the top 10 first-year players in the NBA .

The NBA All-Rookie First and Second teams were released Thursday with obvious choices like the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns, and New York Knicks sensation Kristaps Porzingis earning unanimous selections on the First Team.

Denver Nuggets 2014 second round pick Nikola Jokic (First Team) and Emmanuel Mudiay (Second Team), the team’s 2015 seventh overall pick, were both on the ballot. Being voted on the All-Rookie team signifies a player has earned the respect of the voters as one of the top10 first-year players of the league.

Jokic, a relatively unknown Serbian baller formerly of Mega Leks of the Adriatic League in Serbia, entered the NBA a year after being drafted 41st overall in 2014.

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The “Joker,” as he is called played, in 80 of the team’s 82 games and started 55. He averaged 10 points and seven rebounds in 21.7 minutes per game.

Per 36 minutes he averaged 16.5 points and 11.6 rebounds and a block, and per 100 possessions he averaged 23 points, 16.2 rebounds, and 5.5 assists.

Jokic recorded his first 20 and 10 game against the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 18, scoring 23 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

His career-high 27 points came against the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 1. For the season, he scored 20 points five times and grabbed at least 10 rebounds 22 times, totaling 16 double-doubles.

In the Nuggets’ Apr. 8 matchup against the Spurs, Jokic grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds, helping Denver become the first and only team to beat the Golden State Warriors and Spurs — teams that set franchise and league records for wins in a season.

Jokic showed the tools on the offensive in to score around the basket and shoot the jumper with touch.

The ever-evolving NBA has seen its big man show the ability to bang inside and leak out to the three-point line and knock down the deep ball.

Jokic made 28 of his 84 three-point attempts and shot a modest 33.3 percent, showing that the ability to make the shot is there, it just needs to be refined to become a go-to part of his game.

Mudiay, who was slated to go to Southern Methodist University in Texas, decided against college and played for the Guangdong Southern Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association. After a season in China, Mudiay was drafted with the Nuggets lottery selection in last season’s draft.

In 68 games (66 started) Mudiay averaged 12.8 points and 5.5 assists. He struggled with turnovers throughout the early parts of his rookie year but finished averaging 3.2 per game.

Per 36 minutes Mudiay scored 15.2 points, added 6.5 assists and his turnovers only increased to 3.6.

Per 100 possessions he scored 21.1 points, added 9 assists, but turned it over 5.3 times.

In his first career game, he scored 17 points and dished out nine assists against the Houston Rockets. 

His first double-double came against the Los Angeles Lakers when he scored 12 points and had 10 assists.

Mudiay had a career high 30 points against the Phoenix Suns in a duel with fellow All-Rookie selection Devin Booker (35 points).

He scored at least 20 points nine times and had at least 10 assists four times.

Denver doesn’t have the benefit of national television audiences and not many people watch the team play, mainly because the team isn’t very good, but during the USA vs. World Rising Stars game the basketball world got to see the Nuggets’ collection of rookie talent.

Jokic scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Mudiay put on an even better show, scoring 30 points (five three-pointers) and adding 10 assists.

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For the second consecutive year the Nuggets have had at least one All-Rookie selection (Jusuf Nurkic in 2015) and now building around the young talent is key.