Hailing from Serbia, Nikola Jokic has proven his role with the Denver Nuggets this season and has shown that he can be a true leader for the team.
Nikola Jokic has been the highlight of the Denver Nuggets this season. But the second-year big man’s ascension to stellar performances was very fast-paced, yet interesting. Basketball has always been a love for Jokic growing up in Serbia.
But Jokic’s passions were not only focused on basketball initially. He participated in competitive horse racing, which is a popular sport in his hometown. After making basketball his main focus, Jokic played professionally for Mega Leks, a club in Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia.
Three years later, Jokic joined the Denver Nuggets after being drafted in 2015.
Now, the 6-foot-10 center is a regular on highlight reels this season. Jokic has had 12 double-doubles in the Nuggets’ last 19 games. In Tuesday night’s game against the Orlando Magic, Jokic scored a career-high of 30 points to go with 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals.
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He is only one of seven players this season to post those figures in a game. He continued filling up that stat sheet in the next game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. Jokic finished the night with 29 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.
The Nuggets won both of those games.
Other notable performances from Jokic this season include:
- Jan. 12 against Indiana: 22 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists
- Dec. 30 against Philadelphia: 25 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists
- Dec. 19 against Dallas: 27 points, 17 rebounds, 9 assists
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Jokic’s impressive abilities do not go unnoticed. Of Jokic, teammate Kenneth Faried said after Tuesday night’s game against the Magic, per to CBS news:
"“It’s fun to play with him. He’s a willing passer. He doesn’t care who scores the points as long as we’re winning. That’s a great player to play with”."
His ball-handling skills along with his ability to score has made him be in the company among the most versatile big men in the league. Jokic’s style of play could be compared to that of Karl-Anthony Towns. Jokic is certainly in track to be one of the premier centers in the league.
Jokic’s youth is also a strong point for the Nuggets to benefit from. Jokic is only 21 years old, which means he has plenty time to develop and be a better player. Jokic’s future is great to imagine considering how impressive he looks right now.
The Nuggets finally have something to look forward to with Jokic being on their roster.
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With current averages of 14.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, it is unlikely that Jolic’s greatness will come to an end any time soon. The future of the Denver Nuggets relies heavily on the success of their budding star.