"He is accepting the challenge": How Nikola Jokic is going from jokester to leader

Before the Denver Nuggets departed their downtown Sacramento hotel for Golden 1 Center and Monday’s matchup with the Sacramento Kings, Nuggets coach Michael Malone pulled his 22-year-old franchise center aside for some choice words of advice.

Malone, who would be staying behind at the team hotel that night to serve a one-game suspension for making contact with an official in Denver’s Nov. 19 loss to the Lakers, told Nikola Jokic that he needed him to “be a leader.” In the wake of Paul Millsap‘s wrist injury that could sideline Denver’s starting power forward and defensive captain for three months, he needed Jokic to step up and fill the void.

“‘There’s no Wilson, there’s no Paul, there’s no me,” said Malone, alluding to the fact that Wilson Chandler would also not play against the Kings due to back soreness. “‘I don’t care if we’re up 10 or down 10. Be a leader. These guys are looking to you now.’ And he embraced it that night. I think he’s heading the right direction in that regard.”

Maybe that’s the next facet of Jokic’s game.

He’s already an offensive maestro, who lumbers up the court at a snail’s pace only to ignite Denver’s offense in a sudden crescendo. Jokic usually does it with a pass but also with a high-arcing three or a series of post moves from the block. In the Nuggets’ 104-92 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, Jokic also turned in one of the best defensive games of his career and helped limit Marc Gasol to 15 points on 5-13 shooting.

With no Millsap for the foreseeable future, Jokic stepped up in Sacramento. He was vocal both in timeouts and on the floor. And Friday, Jokic was constantly pointing out instructions to his teammates, telling them where to go on offense and defense. He was playing hard, focused and within himself.

“He is accepting the challenge of becoming a leader, and being a leader is not easy because you have to do the right thing every day,” Malone said after the win. “And Nikola is ready to do that for us.

“He does a good job of telling guys where they need to be. And he has a special gift of knowing what’s going to happen before it does,” Gary Harris added. “(Jokic) just sees how the defense is going to move and react.”

Off the court, he’s The Joker — a fun-loving, charismatic and pure individual who hates to lose but can lighten the mood of a dreary locker room after a tough defeat. On the court, he’s Denver’s best player and now its exclusive go-to scorer late in games with Millsap sidelined.

Jokic’s 28 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists stand out on any stat sheet, but it was the intensity that Jokic played with tonight and when he made his biggest impact that was notable.

After Denver took a 61-45 lead into the break, the Grizzlies outscored the Nuggets 29-15 in the third. Heading into the fourth, Denver only led by two and needed a spark.

Malone subbed in Jokic, Harris, Jamal Murray and Juancho Hernangomez and called a few plays for his big man. Jokic answered with three straight buckets to start the quarter. From there, the Nuggets kept Memphis at bay and went on to win by 12.

“He calmed us down,” Malone said of Jokic’s fourth-quarter opening.

In front of a frenzied Pepsi Center crowd, Jokic put on a show. He was locked in from the opening tip and engaged on both ends. Jokic was hustling, directing traffic on the floor, and it paid off. Denver got an important win to push its home record to 8-2 in the young season. Overall, the Nuggets are 11-8 after starting last season 7-12 through their first 19 games.

Don’t ask Jokic about developing personally as a leader, or anything about his individual game or self. He’ll quickly pivot. Friday, he went off about a pregame ping-pong match between himself and Nuggets longtime equipment manager Sparky Gonzalez who’s been trying to beat Jokic for the past two-and-a-half years.

Jokic said today was the first time he’s ever lost.

“Maybe in the huddles I say something more,” Jokic said. “But I say it just to help the team. It’s not to become a leader.”