Denver Nuggets: 15 best draft picks of all-time
By John Buhler
Nikola Jokic. 3. player. 73. . C. Mega Vizura (Serbia), 2014 (No. 41)
Though he is still on his rookie contract, there is great reason to believe that starting center Nikola Jokic can become one of the greatest players in Nuggets franchise history. Sure, he has a way to go before he gets into the realm of Alex English, Dan Issel and David Thompson, but Jokic has certainly been impressive during his first three years in the league.
Denver used its second-round selection in the 2014 NBA Draft to take the Serbian center No. 41 overall. Initially, it seemed like he would just be a role player backing up Jusuf Nurkic, but Jokic would overtake his former teammate on the Denver depth chart. Nurkic would be traded to the division rival Portland Trail Blazers in 2017.
In 2015-16, Jokic would be named to the NBA All-Rookie first team. That season, he averaged 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in 21.7 minutes per contest. Jokic’s role with the Nuggets would expand to being their best player by his sophomore season in the league.
While he has yet to make an NBA All-Star team or lead the Nuggets to the playoffs, there is great optimism behind Jokic and his continued success with Denver. Through the 2017-18 NBA season, Jokic has averaged 14.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in 27.3 minutes per contest. Keep in mind that he just turned 23 years old. The sky is the limit for this kid and the future is bright in Denver hoops land because of him.