Nikola Jokic had the best statistical season in NBA history last season.
Nikola Jokic broke various records and also became the first center to average a triple-double.
Jokic and the Denver Nuggets have a chance to do something really special this season after a strong offseason.
The 30-year-old is the favorite to win his fourth MVP award this season, and given his past performance, it’s likely.
One of the biggest moves the Denver Nuggets made this offseason that greatly benefited Jokic was the addition of Jonas Valanciunas.
The Nuggets have another highly skilled big man who can step in and make an impact at times other than Jokic.
That was one of the Nuggets’ biggest problems last season. Every time Jokic took a break, Denver fell apart.
But the Nuggets now have a solid bench, and Valanciunas should take a lot of the pressure off Jokic.
Tim Legler praised Valanciunas and talked about how Jokic would benefit from having him.
“I have to give credit to Valanciunas, what a different look their second unit will have.
“Now you have another guy who is 7-foot tall and can play like a highly skilled big man. Very skilled. So he can do a lot of top-of-key dribble handoffs like Jokic.”
“You can post him up, put him in single coverage and he’ll probably get a good shot on his own. If you want him in traffic, he’s a good passer to get out of the post. He’s good at diving, catching the ball, keeping the ball high and getting the ball to the rim really quickly before anyone can react.”
“I was very impressed with how their second unit looked and had played with them before, but Adelman said before the game that he didn’t get a chance to explore them much in camp.
“Honestly, I think Valanciunas was probably the most impressive player in the game. Last year, Jokic’s numbers on and off the floor were crazy. Plus-10 on the floor, minus-9 off the floor. That’s a 19-point difference.”
“We all know depth was an issue, but they didn’t just add players to play. They specifically added bigs. They didn’t really have a backup center. They weren’t in a situation like this. So now they have another big.
“I think that means a longer stretch where we can sit Jokic, let him rest a little bit more, and not worry about this big drop off because we can run the offense just like we do when Valanciunas is on the floor.”
“That was the biggest takeaway for me so far. His looks, how great he is, how skilled he is and what a great acquisition for the Nuggets.”
The Nuggets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games in the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
Jokic played at an incredibly high level, but unfortunately the supporting cast wasn’t able to do much as the Thunder won Game 7 on their home floor.
However, this season, the Nuggets made moves to strengthen their roster. The Nuggets traded Michael Porter Jr. and elite two-way talent Cam Johnson.
They also added key players to the bench, including Valanciunas, Bruce Brown, and Tim Hardaway Jr.
The Nuggets currently have a team in place that can dethrone the Thunder and win a championship.