2018 Player Reviews: Nikola Jokic's breakout season leaves some wondering what his ceiling is

Nuggets coach Michael Malone was still working through the disappointment of his team’s do-or-die loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves last week on the plane ride back to the Mile High City. The Nuggets, who entered the night on a six-game win streak, had plenty of chances to win the game in regulation. They fought the whole way, but it still wasn’t enough as they fell 112-106 in overtime. 

Denver finished 10 games above .500 despite a wrist injury that cost Paul Millsap 44 games. So much progress was made, but there was still no postseason appearance to show for it. Malone was frustrated. Even so, he couldn’t help but crack a smile when his star center Nikola Jokic injected a little levity into the situation.

“I’m sitting with him on the plane last night, and he says, ‘Coach, I was cooking in the third quarter,'” Malone said. “I just started laughing.”

Three years ago, Jokic was a chubby rookie from Serbia who’d just gotten over his Coca-Cola addiction. On Wednesday, he was the best player on the court in a game that also featured Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns. Jokic scored 17 of his game-high 35 points during the third quarter. He made all seven of the shots he took during that 12-minute stretch, hitting one H-O-R-S-E heave after the next. 

It was an exclamation point on a spectacular third season. Jokic wound up averaging 18.5 points, 10.7 rebounds and 6.1 assists, numbers that put him in the same company as guys named Wilt, Oscar and Larry. After coming out of nowhere during the 2016-17 season to serve as the focal point of one of basketball’s most efficient offenses, Jokic proved it was no fluke in year three.

The Nuggets lit up opponents for 112.6 points per 100 possessions when Jokic was on the floor. His creativity, vision, touch, unselfish spirit and ability to make decisions in nanoseconds turned Denver into a team capable of hanging 130 points on anyone.

“Some assists connect dots everyone can see,” ESPN’s Zach Lowe wrote last week. “A lot of Jokic’s assists create shots that wouldn’t exist otherwise.”

There’s a case to be made that in his age-22 season, Jokic put together the greatest passing season from a big man ever. That’s a scary thought.

Jokic also deserves credit for elevating his play when his team needed him most. Over the final 18 games of the season, he averaged 24.0 points on 54.0 percent shooting from the field, 11.5 rebounds and 6.4 assists as Denver went 11-7. He went on a tear after Malone benched him during the fourth quarter of a March 6 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Jokic shot the ball only nine times in that game.

“He’s such a humble guy that sometimes he looks for me to do things,” Paul Millsap said March 9. “And it’s him. He’s our team. He makes a lot of things go for us. He’s got to continue to stay aggressive, and I’m here to help him and back him in any way possible.”

It probably wasn’t a coincidence that Jokic played so well after Millsap, a four-time All-Star and Denver’s highest-paid player, publicly ceded control of the offense to him. Millsap watched from the bench as Jokic recorded what was believed to be the quickest triple-double in NBA history against the Bucks on Feb. 15. He got an up-close look as Jokic dominated without rarely ever getting more than six inches off the ground.

“We know he’s a great player,” Millsap said. “But to even watch his growth from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, to watch his confidence level rise to (being) one of the stars in this league, it’s been impressive. It’s been great to watch it first-hand. He can only get better from here.”

Jokic proved he could be the No. 1 option on a winning team night in and night out. He drastically improved his outside shot, taking twice as many threes this season compared to last and upping his conversion rate from deep to 39.6 percent. He also showed that Denver can depend on him in big games, going for 35 points on 14-25 shooting against Minnesota.

“What’s his ceiling?” Malone asked. “I don’t know. But I think he’s improved so much.”

Final Line: 18.5 pts, 49.9 FG%, 39.6 3P%, 10.7 rebs, 6.1 asts, 0.8 blks, 1.2 stls, 2.8 tovs