Nikola 'Magic' Jokic's unselfish ways continue to fuel his greatness

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DENVER — In a forgetful April 2010 loss to the then-New Jersey Nets, all former Washington Wizards big man Andray Blatche wanted was a triple-double.

The now infamous video, which you can find multiple versions of on YouTube, shows a desperate Blatche searching for and chasing his 10th rebound over the final 30 seconds of regulation, which would have given the Syracuse, New York native the first triple-double of his career. Instead, Blatche finished one rebound short with 20 points, nine rebounds, and 13 assists.

Blatche, who recently garnered Player of the Week honors in the Chinese Basketball Association, would go on to record two triple-doubles in the CBA during the 2015-16 season but never achieved the feat over his nine-year NBA career.

Nikola Jokic will record at least one triple-double during his time in the NBA. You can say that with a fair amount of certainty after watching the 21-year-old score, rebound and pass his way to an outstanding sophomore campaign in Denver.

But you’ll never find him chasing one like Blatche did seven years ago and like others have since.

In the Nuggets’ 140-122 blowout win over the Indiana Pacers in London Thursday, Jokic was at it again. 22 points, ten rebounds, and seven assists, the third game this season where the “The Joker” has come within three rebounds or assists of a triple-double, (Jokic officially had seven assists, but should have been credited with eight upon further review)

Over the course of a typical NBA game, it’s not uncommon for players, like Blatche, to know their statistics. During timeouts and stoppages box scores get passed around on the bench from assistant coaches to players and it’s hard not to peek at how close you might be to a career or season-high, or in Blatche’s case, a triple-double.

Jokic isn’t one for box scores.

“I never take a look at my box score actually,” Jokic said after the Nuggets’ win in London. “I just don’t look. I think that keeps your mind off the court, off the game. I don’t know how many points I had, right now. Can someone tell me?”

Ask members of the Nuggets’ front office and coaching staff for an adjective that describes Jokic, and many will say “selfless.”

You saw Jokic care more about the needs and wishes of others than his own when he asked to come off the bench following the failed “Jurkic” experiment earlier this season. You heard Jokic say after another near triple-double this year that the rare achievement “doesn’t really matter,” and “the game is more important that your name.”

“I don’t think about triple-doubles,” Jokic said. “I just want to win the game, just want to do whatever I need to do on the court to help my teammates to be better.”

By now, you know what Jokic has done individually and for the Nuggets’ offense since he was inserted into Denver’s starting lineup on Dec. 15.

The highest individual Offensive Rating for a first or second-year player since 1972, the first year that statistic could be measured. The Nuggets also have the second-best Offensive Rating as a team, scoring 114.3 points per 100 possessions just behind San Antonio. The list goes on as Jokic keeps making one highlight-reel play after another.

The latest, this lob to Kenneth Faried in London, perhaps paying homage to his Serbian roots and his former Mega Leks club team where Jokic says he first developed his passing prowess.

It was eerily similar to one he threw to Faried just last month at home against the Knicks.

Jokic will take all the blame for a loss and none of the credit in a win. He’s the ultimate team player, one who looks to get his teammates involved, before looking for his own offense. The 21-year-old is a coach’s dream.

“I just want to make my teammates better,” Jokic said. “If I make them better, they make me better. That’s my motto.”