New injury for Nikola Jokic may be much bigger deal than he's letting on

Anyone who has watched Nikola Jokic play basketball over the years knows that he’s not exactly the fastest or most athletic player to ever grace the court. Even when he’s dominating a game, it often looks like Jokic is laboring, out of breath, and winded almost as soon as the game starts.

If you close your eyes and imagine a peak athlete and basketball plate, you’re probably not picturing someone who looks like Jokic. But the massive Serbian superstar has made it work for years. He’s much stronger and faster than he looks, and he’s found a way to get the most out of his body without being mistaken for a track and field star.

Jokic clearly hobbled by injury in loss to Celtics

But what we saw on Sunday was something different. This wasn’t just the typical old Jokic huffing and puffing up and down the court, looking like an old man in the rec league, while never tiring and dominating all the same.

It appeared that he tweaked something during the jump ball and was noticeably limping and grimacing for the first few minutes of the game. He managed to play through it and looked better as the game went on, finishing with 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 assists over 39 minutes in a 110-103 loss to the Celtics.

After the game Jokic was asked about his limp and said that nothing happened during the opening tip-off, even joking that he’s been limping for the last 14 years, but finally admitted it was “A little injury that I have”.

Any Jokic injury would spell disaster for Nuggets

Obviously, it’s a good sign that Jokic played the whole game and was joking around about the limp afterward, but this is no joking matter. If there is any lingering issue that keeps Joker anywhere under 100% for the rest of the season or playoffs, this team is in massive trouble.

He’s already holding the team together by himself and any talk of playoffs or contending is almost entirely based around him. If he brings anything less than his usual MVP level to a game, the Nuggets have very little chance of winning.

So, while there’s currently no reason for concern and nothing has made its way to an injury report. If there’s even a one percent chance of aggravation or swelling, the team needs to be beyond cautious and sit him out or seek treatment until he is back to 100%.