There was a time when every
Nikola Jokic triple-double was a headline. Now, it’s just another
night in the NBA.
Through the first seven games of
the season, Jokic has recorded a triple-double in five of them – a
feat that, for almost any other player, would be hailed as an
early-season masterpiece. For Jokic nowadays though, it barely
makes noise – or so we thought.
His latest line – 33 points, 15
rebounds, and 16 assists in a win over the Miami Heat – came and
went without much fanfare. No major debates, no viral clips, just
another Nikola Jokic game.
It raises a sobering
question: Have we started taking Nikola Jokic for
granted?
When greatness becomes routine
In a league dominated by
storylines, Jokic has somehow become background
noise.
There’s
the buzz surrounding Oklahoma City’s rise to their dynasty
aspirations, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s another MVP-level
play. There’s Victor Wembanyama’s historic two-way surge, Luka
Doncic torching defenses nightly, and Giannis Antetokounmpo
reclaiming his MVP momentum as the Bucks return back into
contention. Amid all this, Jokic continues to produce at a level
that would define other players’ careers – and yet, it’s treated as
business as usual.
Maybe that’s the curse of
consistency. Jokic has been performing at an MVP standard for six
straight years, making extraordinary basketball look almost
effortless. His greatness has lost its novelty, not its
effectiveness. The NBA world seems to have reached the point where
a 25-12-12 stat line is expected out of him night in and night out,
and anything less is considered an off night.
That kind of expectation can
only mean one thing: we might have grown numb to the brilliance of
the Joker.
Jokic’s game defies conventional
flash. He doesn’t soar above defenders, doesn’t scream after dunks,
and rarely demands attention. Instead, he dissects opponents with
surgical precision – manipulating angles, finding shooters, and
bending defenses until they break.
He makes the hardest parts of
basketball look like second nature. And perhaps because of that,
his dominance no longer shocks us.
Watch him closely, though, and
it’s clear this is not normal. No one in NBA history has combined
this kind of scoring efficiency, playmaking creativity, and
rebounding control in one body. Jokic’s blend of power and
patience, vision and touch, feels like something out of a different
era – or maybe a different dimension.
Yet, somehow, it doesn’t
dominate the discourse anymore the way it once did.
The cost of familiarity
It’s possible that ‘voter
fatigue’ has caught up with Jokic – not just in award voting, but
in the public consciousness. When a player sustains greatness for
this long, the conversation naturally shifts elsewhere. The media
and fans often chase new narratives, new stars, new sensations.
Jokic, who’s been doing this for years, no longer fits the mold of
“breaking news.”
But it’s worth remembering: he’s
still the best player in basketball.
Since 2019, Jokic has averaged
roughly 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists per game while
leading the Denver Nuggets to sustained success, including the 2023
NBA Championship – a run that stamped his legacy as one of the
all-time greats. And yet, even as he keeps doing it, his name often
fades into the background of louder storylines.
The truth is, we’ve normalized
his greatness to the point where we no longer fully appreciate it.
It’s not that Jokic has gotten worse – it’s that everyone else has
gotten louder.
Led by Jokic, Nuggets quietly creep up atop the
West
Part of the reason Jokic’s
brilliance flies under the radar is the Nuggets’ quiet
offseason.
While other teams made splashy moves – like
Kevin Durant’s shocking arrival in Houston – Denver operated with
surgical precision rather than spectacle.
They brought back a familiar
face in Bruce Brown, a key piece of their 2023 title run. Brown’s
return instantly reestablishes the defensive edge and chemistry
that made Denver so complete during their championship push. His
connection with Jokic is instinctive; he knows exactly when and
where to cut, and Jokic always finds him.
The Nuggets also made a subtle
but meaningful trade – flipping Michael Porter Jr. for Cameron
Johnson. At first glance, it might seem like a downgrade in talent,
but in practice, it could be an upgrade in fit. Johnson’s spacing,
unselfishness, and commitment to role-playing perfectly complement
Jokic’s system. He won’t hijack possessions or hunt shots; he’ll
move, shoot, and defend – the exact formula that maximizes Jokic’s
playmaking brilliance.
Denver also finally addressed
one of their lingering issues: the lack of a dependable backup
center. The addition of Jonas Valanciunas gives them that
stability. A bruising interior presence and elite screener,
Valanciunas allows Denver to stay afloat when Jokic sits – a
problem that’s haunted them for years. He’s also a sneaky-good
passer, keeping Denver’s dribble-handoff flow alive in bench
units.
And perhaps the most underrated
move of all is not a move at all: the return of a healthy Jamal
Murray and Aaron Gordon. Both have battled injuries during previous
playoff runs, but when on the floor, they complete Denver’s
identity. Murray’s two-man game with Jokic remains one of the most
unstoppable actions in basketball, while Gordon’s cutting, defense,
and athleticism balance the Nuggets on both ends.
Another quiet storyline is their
head coach David Adelman. After taking over midseason last year,
Adelman has done an exceptional job keeping the Nuggets grounded
and disciplined. His defensive tweaks and trust in player
development have kept Denver sharp despite roster transitions. He
doesn’t seek the spotlight – much like Jokic – but his influence is
felt in the team’s structure, chemistry, and
accountability.
Adelman has embraced what makes
Jokic special: freedom within a framework. Denver plays through
Jokic at all times, but it never feels forced. The rhythm of the
offense – cuts, screens, spacing – is organic, built on years of
familiarity and trust.
While the Thunder, Lakers,
Spurs, and Rockets dominate headlines, the Nuggets are quietly
creeping back into the Western Conference’s top tier. It’s easy to
forget that Denver was one win away from eliminating the eventual
champion Oklahoma City Thunder last postseason.
Now, with a more balanced
roster, better depth, and a refreshed core, they’re poised to make
another deep run. And at the center of it all – both literally and
figuratively – is Nikola Jokic, still orchestrating everything with
unmatched control.
He’s still the engine, still the
mind, still the heartbeat of Denver basketball. And yet, somehow,
we’ve stopped talking about him.
The normalization of the extraordinary
Maybe that’s the price of
sustained brilliance – to be so consistently excellent that the
world stops noticing.
But history will remember what
the present often overlooks. Jokic isn’t just putting up big
numbers; he’s reshaping what we thought possible for a big
man.
One day, when we look back,
we’ll realize these seasons weren’t normal. They were masterpieces
hiding in plain sight.
Nikola Jokic hasn’t fallen off –
if anything, he’s still climbing. It’s the rest of us who’ve
forgotten to look up.
