Denver Nuggets: 5 Best Moments of the Offseason

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Jamal Murray (Kentucky) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number seven overall pick to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

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Aug 17, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Serbia center Nikola Jokic (14) shoots the ball against Croatia during the men’s basketball quarterfinals in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Nikola Jokic’s Olympic Performance

For Nuggets fans, the Olympics may not have been as simple as naturally rooting for Team USA. Nikola Jokic, the team’s most promising young big man and the third-place finisher in 2015-16 Rookie of the Year voting, played for Serbia.

And beyond simply being on the roster, he actually played quite well in spots. There’s no doubt some Nuggets fans were torn on whether to root for their country, one of their favorite team’s best players, or some combination of both.

But one thing is certain: management had to be impressed with Jokic’s performance on such a big stage.

Jokic’s best game came in a near-upset of Team USA during group play. He dropped 25 points and added in six rebounds and three assists in the 94-91 loss for Serbia.

This kind of showing against the dominant defensive big men on Team USA is obviously an encouraging sign for Jokic’s prospects going forward.

And although he wasn’t quite as productive in Serbia’s following games, he was still a productive piece of their eventual silver-medal winning squad. Jokic didn’t necessarily need this performance to solidify his status as a future star, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.

Jokic’s Olympic accomplishments were definitely a welcome sight for the Nuggets and their fans.

Next: No. 1

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