Nuggets center Nikola Jokic will be reevaluated in four weeks after being diagnosed with a hyperextension of his left knee, the team announced today (Twitter link).
Jokic injured his knee during Monday’s game against Miami. On Tuesday, Đorđe Matić of Meridian Sport, an outlet based in Jokic’s home country of Serbia, reported that the big man had hyperextended his knee but appeared to have avoided a more serious injury. The update from the club confirms as much.
Although the absence projects to be the longest of Jokic’s NBA career, the Nuggets are breathing a sigh of relief, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), since testing confirmed that the three-time MVP’s knee ligaments are intact.
Still, there’s no guarantee that Jokic will be able to return at the four-week mark when he’s reevaluated. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link) suggests the 30-year-old could end up missing closer to six weeks.
The Nuggets’ depth will be tested in a major way during that time. The team was already down three starters, with Aaron Gordon (hamstring), Christian Braun (ankle), and Cameron Johnson (knee) all on the shelf. With Jokic now out too, guard Jamal Murray is the only opening-night starter still standing.
Head coach David Adelman said over the weekend that Gordon and Braun have a chance to return during the Nuggets’ current road trip, which runs through January 7 (Twitter link via Katy Winge of Altitude TV). Until then, Murray figures to be joined in the starting five by Peyton Watson, Spencer Jones, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Jonas Valanciunas.
The Nuggets are off to a 22-10 start this season and are well positioned in the Western Conference postseason picture at the moment, but they don’t have a ton of room for error as they attempt to hang onto a guaranteed (ie. top-six) playoff seed. The No. 6 Timberwolves currently trail Denver by just a game-and-a-half, while the No. 7 Suns are three games back of the Nuggets.
Although Jokic and the Nuggets will be more concerned about their record and their position in the standings, it’s also worth noting that this injury could cost the superstar center his award eligibility this season. In order to meet the 65-game requirement and qualify for end-of-season awards, Jokic can’t miss more than 17 games — Denver will play 18 times between now and the end of January.
If Jokic isn’t award-eligible, his streak of seven consecutive All-NBA appearances would come to an end, as would a stretch of five straight years in the top two in Most Valuable Player voting.
Jokic has been putting up historic numbers so far this season, averaging a career-high 29.6 points per game while leading the NBA with 12.2 rebounds and 11.0 assists per contest. His shooting line is an outrageous .605/.435/.853 and the Nuggets have a +12.3 net rating when he’s on the court, compared to a -6.3 mark when he’s not.