The Denver Nuggets listed Jonas Valančiūnas as questionable ahead of Thursday's matchup in D.C. against the Wizards. He's been out the past three weeks with a calf strain, an injury he suffered on Dec. 31 in a loss to Toronto. There is a chance he could return against one of his former teams, as he spent the first half of last season with Washington before going to Sacramento.
Before Denver's loss to Los Angeles on Tuesday, David Adelman said that Valančiūnas "looked good" and that when he returned, he'd "most likely" be the starting center.
While that was, of course, good news, it also meant that Valančiūnas will return before Jokić. That itself wasn't surprising, but understandably, fans are eager to see the superstar back on the floor. At least in the meantime, the Nuggets should have Valančiūnas.
Nuggets list Jonas Valančiūnas as questionable for Thursday's game
By no means is it guaranteed that Valančiūnas will play, but regardless, this is the boost that fans needed during what's been an injury-riddled season for Denver. Oh, and there's also the fact that the Lakers outrebounded the Nuggets, 51-31, in their comeback win last night. With no disrespect to Aaron Gordon, it will be nice to have a true starting center again.
Fans only thought that it couldn't get worse than when Jokić went down with what initially looked like a season-ending injury. Everyone collectively breathed a sigh of relief when they learned otherwise and were once again thankful that the front office turned Dario Sarić into Valančiūnas over the summer. If there was ever a time to have a good backup center, it was then.
That optimism was short-lived, but, like with Jokić, at least Valančiūnas' injury wasn't worse. A calf strain is one of the most feared injuries in the league right now, though, after what happened in the 2025 playoffs.
We're at the halfway point of the season, and the Nuggets have dealt with more than enough injuries, so hopefully, Valančiūnas' return will be the start of a clean slate. Just because Denver has handled its slew of injuries better than most anticipated doesn't mean it doesn't need a break. Maybe the end is in sight.
Fingers crossed that Valančiūnas will be back in action tomorrow, as it will allow him to reacclimate to playing again before the Nuggets travel to Milwaukee to take on Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks on Friday.