How Nikola Jokic’s first summer league showed us he was going to be a star

Nikola Jokic made his unofficial NBA debut back in July, 2015 at Las Vegas Summer League in front of empty stands and without fanfare. For most NBA fans, Jokic was an afterthought on the Nuggets summer league roster behind rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, end of bench players Gary Harris, Erick Green, and Joffrey Lauvergne.

Jokic averaged just 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 5 games at Summer League, numbers that didn’t jump off the page. But a look back at the highlights reveals that the skillset of a future MVP candidate and first team all-NBA center was on full display.

Join me as we look back at the no-look passes, shoulder shakes, and scoop shots that signaled the dawn of a new era of Denver Nuggets basketball, even if we didn’t realize it at the time.