Nikola Jokic might just be the best player in the NBA. The reigning MVP is doing things on a nightly basis that other players around the league could only dream of doing.
His combination of size, basketball IQ, passing ability, and shot-making makes him a top-five player in the league, at the bare minimum. He’s even managed to drag the Denver Nuggets to a top-six seed without his two co-stars.
However, the time of him carrying the Nuggets could come to an end very soon, as those two aforementioned co-stars are nearing a return to the court.
Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. make the Nuggets title contenders
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic (subscription required), it is believed that both Jamal Murray and Michal Porter Jr. could be back in time for the NBA playoffs. (H/T Bleacher Report)
Keep in mind, the last time Murray got to play playoff basketball, he was going toe-to-toe with Donovan Mitchell in one of the most entertaining first-round matchups in recent memory… and that was all the way back in The Bubble.
So far this season, pretty much the entire offensive load of the Nuggets has rested on Jokic’s shoulders. Their bench has been awful, and while players like Aaron Gordon and Will Barton have been solid, they just don’t compare to Murray and MPJ.
Despite this, the Nuggets are still sitting at sixth in the West, as mentioned, and have a chance to do some serious damage in the playoffs. And if Murray and Porter Jr. do return, then the rest of the West could be in big trouble.
Jokic alone is enough to win Denver a playoff series, so throwing both Murray and Porter Jr. into the mix could be enough to win multiple playoff series.
With all three of those guys healthy, there might not be a team able to stop the Nuggets from making a deep playoff run. Putting that sort of consistent shot-making and shooting around Jokic should definitely be enough to compete with the top teams in the Western Conference.
Teams around the league should have already been dreading facing off against Jokic alone in the playoffs. But if they have to face Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., too, it could be their worst nightmare.