Denver Nuggets: The Joker’s latest trick

Nikola Jokic subtly paced the Denver Nuggets’ dub Monday, as well as their six-game winning streak. Watch closely, or you may miss his recent greatness.

On his worst nights, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is the league’s best facilitating big. At his best, he is an absolute magician with the ball.

Monday’s win over the Toronto Raptors was one of these magical games. His passes were on target, and reads were miles ahead of both the cutter and defense.

The Nuggets’ offense didn’t necessarily look spectacular. Two staple players were M.I.A. — Gary Harris played just nine minutes before injuring himself, while Paul Millsap shot just 2-for-9 from the field.

Jokic had little to work with. Yet, voila, he reached into the hat and pulled out 15 assists, preventing an otherwise inevitable road loss.

He was clearly the star. Yet, this isn’t how Jokic saw it. Here’s what he had to say after the game, per ESPN‘s Tim Bontemps:

"“I don’t know,” Jokic said when asked why things went so well for him against Toronto. “The guys were making shots, I was passing the ball, we were playing good. We had really good energy on the bench … everyone who played did something good in the game. It’s a little bit of everything.”"

In his article, Bontemps was complimentary of Jokic. He mentioned the young Serbian as the only center in over 30 years to post 15-plus assists (which he has done three times now).

Bontemps also praised Jokic’s humble attitude and unselfishness:

"“It would’ve been easy for Jokic to take the lion’s share of the credit after his performance. But that isn’t how the 23-year-old is wired, which feeds into the mindset of his teammates.“Despite being one of the NBA’s leading offenses (Denver is ninth in offensive efficiency following Monday’s action), the Nuggets don’t run a lot of elaborate sets. Instead, they leverage Jokic’s ingenuity and creativity and utilize a team of smart, heady players around him to maximize those gifts.”"

Jokic notched 9.3 assists a night during Denver’s six-game win streak. Find another NBA center with this insane kind of passing spurt.

Consequently, many are involved in the attack. The Nuggets have multiple talented offensive weapons. Jokic’s stardom could call them off in favor of his own stats — many NBA superstars do just that.

But not the Serbian. He would rather pass, gift, and allow others to receive the glory. X-rays reveal not one selfish bone in Jokic’s body.

The result? How many teams have better cohesion than the Nuggets?

How much trade request-ing, high-flight drama, or disgruntled personalities has the Mile High seen over recent years? Seriously…the chemistry here is almost eerie these days.

While certain Western Conference rivals implode before ogling crowds, the Nuggets remain selfless and strong. How do they do this? It starts at the top with their superstar center. Hence, Jokic’s silent act of magic, sealed with the gritty road win in Toronto.

In just over three seasons, Jokic has quietly built an unselfish, championship-caliber culture in Denver. If you blinked, you may have missed it.

Many teams try for years to crack the winning equation. At 23 years old, Jokic has it figured out. The season is old enough to debunk talks of a fluke, and no disgruntled personnel lurks in wait to cause issues.

At 16-7, Denver sits atop the Western Conference. Now they’ve beaten the Eastern Conference frontrunners on their home court. What’s next, Mile High?