Jokic Becomes Western Conference Player of the Month
By Liam Clark
Nikola Jokic has won his first ever Western Conference Player of the Month award for the month of January.
Per an official press release from the NBA, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has won Western Conference Player of the Month for January award after having a stunning month to lead the Nuggets to a winning record.
The Nuggets went 11-5 in January and have Jokic’s amazing play to thank for that, as the Sombor native continued his MVP campaign with averages 27.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game last month (while shooting 56.5% from the floor).
The big man becomes the first player to win the award for the Denver Nuggets since Carmelo Anthony in 2009 to win the award, and has dominated the league in order to receive the honors.
It could not have been more evident than in his game against the Utah Jazz, where the big man had an amazing stat line of 47 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists to snap the Jazz’s 11-game win streak.
When asked about his career night against the Jazz, Jokic was humble when talking about his performance: (via Nuggets Altitude):
"“I’m just happy that we won the game,” Jokic said in a postgame interview on the Nuggets’ Altitude TV broadcast. “They’re playing amazing, they have 11 wins a row, they’re shooting the ball real well. It is a really nice win for us.”"
Jokic is likely to be an All-Star starter this year, after an incredible start to the season has him averaging 26.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game while shooting 57.4% per game and getting it done on the defensive end with 1.8 steals per game.
The Player of the Month award is a first for Jokic, and will likely not be the only accolade that the 25-year-old Serbian will gain during what’s been a career year.