There's something different about Nikola Jokic this season

It seems like there’s little rhyme or reason to Nikola Jokic’s warmup routine.

Jokic will stroll onto the court around two hours before tip-off like he’s circling Wash Park on a Sunday afternoon: with a smile and without a care in the world. He greets nearby coaches and ball boys, and then starts to put up shots. One after another, they dive through the net in rapid succession. Sometimes Jokic jumps off his right foot. Sometimes he jumps off his left. He’ll mix in straight up-and-down jumpers and fading Sombor Shuffles.

Like a teenager at his neighborhood basketball court, Jokic plots around the paint, from elbow to elbow and block to block just as he does in a game, firiing up continuous right and left-handed hook shots, scoop shots and floaters. It’s one of those things about Jokic — and after watching him for his entire career there are plenty — that just makes you smile. He’s so unique, so pure and so organic.

There’s no one else in the NBA that has a warmup quite like his. To us, it’s completely random with little structure compared to every other player’s routine. But to him, there’s probably plenty. After all, those are the exact shots that he takes in games.

Jokic took 11 of those same shots against the Rockets Monday night. He converted eight. All 11 came in the first half. Yes, Jokic played in the second half and played incredibly well. But in Denver’s 124-111 win, Jokic shot the ball zero times in the third or fourth quarters. Not once. His one second-half point came at the free-throw line as the result of him drawing a non-shooting foul.

He still dominated. Jokic barely glanced at the rim in the third quarter but played all 12 minutes and handed out eight assists leading to 20 points. Denver ended up outscoring Houston 36-22 in the quarter. In 15 second-half minutes, Jokic finished with zero points, five rebounds and 11 helpers. The Nuggets outscored the Rockets by 17 points when he was on the floor.

Jokic’s final stat line was as unique as his pregame warmup routine: 19 points, 12 rebounds and 18 assists in 34 minutes. The 18 assists are a career high and the most by a center since Wilt Chamberlain in 1968.

“It’s obviously unbelievable,” Paul Millsap said.

One of his best assists of the night came in the fourth with the Nuggets needing just a few more baskets to break the Rockets’ spirit for good. That’s what happened on this dime to Will Barton, a perfectly placed bounce pass from Jokic that he was somehow able to bend around poor Bruno Caboclo.

“I see it every day,” Jamal Murray said. “It’s just expected for him to pass like that. But 18 assists is a lot. Thats a lot.”

Jokic controlled a game Monday night like I’ve never seen someone control a game before. He shot the same amount of times as Rockets guard David Nwaba but dictated and held command over nearly every Nuggets possession.

During a second-quarter sequence, Murray entered the ball to Jokic at the foul line and pointed at his center to swing the ball to Millsap on the opposite wing. But Jokic countered by signaling for Murray to go into a dribble hand-off. Moments later it was an open jumper for Denver’s point guard who had his best outing of the young season vs. Houston, finishing with 21 points on 7-14 shooting (4-6 3FG’s), five rebounds and two assists.

Besides Jokic’s historic night, two other notable items from Monday have to be addressed. First off, this wasn’t a strong Rockets team that the Nuggets beat. Houston only had nine players available and was without regulars John Wall, Eric Gordon, Ben McLemore and DeMarcus Cousins due to COVID and NBA healthy and safety protocols.

Secondly, Denver was able to curb its defensive rebounding problem that plagued the Nuggets over their first two regular season games. Denver limited Houston to just five offensive rebounds. Millsap noted that for the first time this season, the Nuggets displayed the effort and persistence necessary to control the glass.

“We want to be that grimy hustle team,” Millsap said.

Jokic is off to a dazzling start this season. Through three games he’s averaging 24 points on pristine efficiency (61.9% shooting from the field and 42.9% from three), 12 rebounds and 14 assists per game. He’s the second player in NBA history with at least 70 points and 40 assists through his first three games (Guy Rodgers, 1966-67).

“He’s so calm about it. He just kind of sits there in the post,” Murray said. “And if nothing’s open, then just 1-on-1. Easy work. Baby food.”

It’s still early, but there’s something different about Jokic this year. Those close to the team remarked on Day 1 of training camp how Jokic arrived back in Denver energized and invigorated even after the short offseason. Maybe the intimate Sombor wedding between Jokic and his longtime girlfriend in late-October put him in the right mindset for what’s sure to be a long and trying regular season. Perhaps the Western Conference Finals loss to the Lakers eat at him for the last several months.

Whatever it is, Jokic is playing like an MVP one week into the regular season. It’s a fascinating development considering how the two-time All-Star has gotten off to relatively slow starts by his standards over the last couple of years. Simply put, Jokic is doing things right now that he didn’t do at the onset of the last couple seasons. Three games into the year, Jokic is sprinting everywhere.

In the midsts of his 11-assist third-quarter barrage, Jokic corralled a loose ball and raced up the floor leading a Nuggets fast break before finding Millsap for a corner three. He rarely moved with this velocity at the beginning of last season. This year, it’s already become the norm.

Jokic is a marvel. No one’s ever played the center position quite like him and no one ever will again. He might be the most unique player in NBA history and that label applies everywhere, from his pregame warmup to his 11-assist, zero-shot halves and his potential MVP candidacy.

Denver still has plenty of land mines to navigate this season. What is Michael Malone going to do about his shaky bench? Will Murray become a more consistent offensive player night to night? Can Gary Harris rediscover his offense like he was able to against Houston on Monday?

The Nuggets don’t have to worry about Jokic, who should be a legitimate MVP threat this year. He looks the part so far, and with Michael Porter Jr. starting, Murray coming off his bubble breakout, Will Barton healthy, and loads of capable point guards and distributors on the roster, Jokic has never played with this much offensive talent. He’ll have plenty more nights like he had against Houston. Jokic can look to score less and facilitate more this year, which is just how he likes it.

So far, Jokic is averaging a triple double. Why can’t he keep it up over an entire season?

“It’s incredible what he can do,” Murray said.