Everything was trending in the right direction. First Aaron Gordon, then Jonas Valančiūnas. They were still out of the Denver Nuggets lineup, but out on the floor during warmups looking ready to go. Finally, after being out for six weeks, Gordon made his return in early January against Brooklyn. That was followed by Valančiūnas getting back on the floor during the recent road trip against Washington. The next man up for Denver’s beleaguered front court – up and off the disabled list – appeared to be Nikola Jokic. He was – as still is – seen working out seriously before games on Denver’s most recent road trip and again at Ball Arena on Tuesday night.
The first game back at home against the east-leading Detroit Pistons was seen by many Nuggets observers as the night that would hopefully bring the return of Joker to the Denver lineup. That game marked four weeks since Jokic was injured in Miami.
Joker Still in Street Clothes
But Tuesday night came and went with the three-time MVP still on the bench in street clothes. He sat alongside Gordon, who was back on the shelf after aggravating his nagging hamstring ailment in Milwaukee. That meant Denver remained severely shorthanded, especially in the frontcourt. So Despite shooting just 19% from three point range, the Pistons were able to bully Denver – especially when Valančiūnas (who remains on a minutes restriction) was on the bench – and beat the still very shorthanded Nuggets 109-107. Valančiūnas finished the game with 16 points and 16 rebounds. The rest of the Nuggets combined for 33 boards.
Prior to the game, it was announced that Jokic would be “re-evaluated” this week and his return to play delayed again until next week at the earliest.
This is a double blow to Denver. While they remain in a solid position playoff-seeding wise, the mostly-reserves lineup is beginning to show cracks. Against Detroit, they were once again missing four starters, including Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun. Head Coach David Adelman’s makeshift lineups have kept the Nuggets afloat – they’re now 9-7 without their best player – but the schedule is getting tougher as time is getting shorter.
A Fourth MVP Not in the Cards
It was thought that Joker might return soon enough to be able to play in enough games that he could still qualify for NBA postseason awards. But the latest news shatters that hope. Despite having one of, if not his best ever statistical seasons of his 10-year career, he won’t be eligible for a fourth MVP or even All-NBA honors after the season.
That of course is secondary to Denver being at full strength and playing it’s best basketball come playoff time. But with Braun’s injury much worse than originally thought, and Johnson – who’s own hyperextended knee injury occurred two weeks prior to Jokic’s – still out indefinitely, Denver needs help. Gordon is likely to return in a week or so, but he will have to be watched carefully the rest of the way and will likely not be 100% until next season.
Another sticking point is the status of forward Spencer Jones, who’s played a key role in keeping Denver competitive while their starting lineup recovers. Jones is on a two-way contract, meaning there is a limit on how many NBA games he can play in this season. If nothing changes, he’s got just four games left before he has to be returned to Denver’ G-League affiliate in Grand Rapids…or signed to a full-on NBA deal.
The picture will likely be much less murky a week from now after the February 5th trade deadline passes, but until then Adelman and his staff will continue to have to mix and match lineups and hope that the magic can continue.
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