![]() 15, 2016, Jokmas was born and the big man from Sombor, Serbia, was on his way to becoming a playoff record-breaking triple-double generator, an all-time passer and one of the greatest centers since Wilt Chamberlain. Malone's decision set the Nuggets on their path to hoisting their first Larry O'Brien Trophy on Monday night. But the Nuggets won by 12, the first victory in a three-game win streak. The next game, Jokic started and played just 19 minutes because of foul trouble, finishing with 13 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds against the Portland Trail Blazers. "I made a decision that he would become the focal point of everything we do, every decision we make, every player we bring in has to be somebody that can play with and complement Nikola." From that point in time, our offense, our team, our winning, everything just went straight up. And the next game, I started him at center. And I said, 'Screw everything.' Nikola's a center. "This kid was All-Rookie as a center and here I am bringing him off the bench and playing him as a 4 and a 5. "I'm talking to myself," Malone told ESPN. Malone had a revelation that changed the course of the franchise. But after the Nuggets lost by 20 points against the Dallas Mavericks, Malone returned home late that night deliberating his next move. The Nuggets had been starting Jokic and fellow big man Jusuf Nurkic as the foundation of a gigantic lineup that wasn't working, spurring Jokic to ask Malone to bring him off the bench. It was 10 days before Christmas in 2016, and Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone was "racking" his brain for solutions to jump-start his team, which was sputtering to a 9-16 start to the 2016-17 season. NBA Finals 2023: Tales of Nikola Jokic's journey to a titleĭENVER - Long before Nikola Jokic won his first NBA championship, his first Finals MVP and his back-to-back league MVPs, there was "Jokmas." Jokic is now their supermax contracted peer, and there is only one accomplishment left for the Nuggets superstar to vault himself into all-time greatness.īen Rohrbach is a staff writer for Yahoo Sports.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser The remaining 12 multi-time MVPs all have at least one title, including Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry, who have won the league's past two Finals MVPs. Karl Malone and Steve Nash are the only players with multiple MVP awards never to win a championship. Nothing short of that will ease the pressure on the two-time MVP to certify his league status in the playoffs. ![]() The 2021 trade acquisition of Aaron Gordon lifted Denver into title contention, but Murray tore his left ACL within weeks, and the Nuggets lost a second-round series to the Phoenix Suns.Īll plan to enter the 2022-23 campaign ready to help Jokic compete for his first NBA Finals appearance. When last the Nuggets were healthy, they reached the Western Conference finals. ![]() ![]() His Nuggets lost a five-game, first-round playoff series to the eventual champion Golden State Warriors this past season, when Denver's second- and third-best players, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., played a combined nine regular-season games. He is the greatest passing center in history and leads the NBA in almost every all-encompassing advanced statistic. Jokic has averaged 26.7 points (on 58/36/84 shooting splits), 12.3 rebounds and 8.1 assists in 34 minutes per game over the past two seasons, winning the league's past two MVP awards by a wide margin. (AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images) Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is the NBA's two-time reigning MVP. ![]()
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