Denver Nuggets' generational center Nikola Jokic was diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee after going down in a game vs. the Miami Heat on Dec. 29. Per Shams Charania, Jokic was set to be reevaluated in four-to-six weeks from the occurrence of the injury. We'll breakdown where he currently stands on that timeline and try to find a potential return date.
The Nuggets have dealt with a litany of injuries to their top players, but are still holding a 24-12 record and are 4th in the West. Aaron Gordon (hamstring), Christian Braun (ankle), Cameron Johnson (knee), and Jonas Valanciunas (calf) have all sustained injuries that have or will take more than a month to recover from.
Even Jamal Murray and Tim Hardaway Jr. missed their last game against the Philadelphia 76ers, but the Nuggets managed to knock off Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George without any of their top seven players.
Of course everything offensively runs through Jokic for Denver. The longer he's out, the sustainable and the more inconsistent the Nuggets become. He is hands-down the best player in the NBA and perhaps the best offensive player of all time, averaging 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 11.0 assists while shooting 60.5% from the field and 43.5% from the three-point line.
The Nuggets defense has been slightly better without Jokic and Valanciunas as the switchable and smaller Zeke Nnaji and Da'Ron Holmes have played more, but Denver is severely lacking size and has been out-rebounded by 41 rebounds in the four games without Jokic.
His collapse after his knee was pushed inwards against the Heat sent initial waves of panic in Denver, but Jokic has been an ironman his entire career and will be back this season. Let's try to find an ideal time for the Serbian to return to the court:
Nuggets Late January-Early February Schedule
Date | Away Team | Home Team |
Jan. 27 | Detroit Pistons | Denver Nuggets |
Jan. 29 | Brooklyn Nets | Denver Nuggets |
Jan. 30 | Los Angeles Clippers | Denver Nuggets |
Feb. 1 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Denver Nuggets |
Feb. 3 | Denver Nuggets | Detroit Pistons |
Feb. 4 | Denver Nuggets | New York Knicks |
Feb. 7 | Denver Nuggets | Chicago Bulls |
Feb. 9 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Denver Nuggets |
Feb. 11 | Memphis Grizzlies | Denver Nuggets |
Jan. 27 would mark pretty much exactly four weeks since the injury occurred and is most likely the earliest possible date for Jokic to return. It's rare to see a player come back on the front-end of their recovery period, however clips of Jokic walking easily and reports that the Nuggets are "pleasantly surprised" in his recovery make a return before February possible.
Feb. 11 marks a little over six weeks and Jokic would be behind schedule if he returns afterwards. The Nuggets may evaluate their situation in the standings near the end of January to see if they can afford any additional missed games by Jokic. Avoiding the volatile play-in will be the Nuggets goal to finish the season.
Expect Jokic to return in early February if the recovery goes well.
Gordon and Braun are back while Johnson, Jokic, and Valanciunas will all return around the same time near the mid-February All-Star break.
Read Cam Johnson's injury timeline on site.
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