There has always been a sort of underlying discourse around Nikola Jokic, half-jokingly suggesting that he doesn’t really care about basketball. You hear jokes about how Jokic never emotes on or off the court, so he would rather be back home in Serbia with his horses.
People joke about his body and his build, questioning how seriously he takes basketball. Some have even speculated bout whether Jokci may retire in the coming years, moving back home, and disappearing out of the spotlight forever.
Nuggets fans, and most NBA fans who truly appreciate the Joker, have long known how ridiculous these narratives were. Jokic’s endurance, conditioning, and durability have absolutely never been a question. He is in excellent shape, he works on his game, and watches basketball as much as anyone.
Just because he doesn’t always wear his heart on his sleeve or spout off in the media about how he needs more help, that’s not to be mistaken for a lack of caring or competitiveness. Jokic is as passionate about winning as anyone in the league, but it was nice to see him show it for the national audience on Monday night.
Jokic caught on camera, vigorously leading team in huddle
Ever since the firing of Michael Malone, we’ve seen a much more animated Jokic on and around the court. That was never more evident than during a first-half timeout in the Nuggets’ Game 1 victory over the Thunder on Monday night.
As the TNT national broadcast returned from a timeout, they showed footage from during the break of the Nuggets’ bench. Jokci was up and out of his chair, leading the team as if he were the coach, and passionately imploring his teammates.
COACH JOKIC. pic.twitter.com/Y48WcszE1c
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) May 6, 2025
This is the kind of leadership and intensity that fans don’t often see from the Joker, but has always been there. Now, without Malone’s voice around, Jokic is relying on his own voice and leading from the front more than ever before.
It’s cool to see, and it’s a nice message to those ignorant few left out there who don’t fully appreciate Nikola Jokic, the competitor. For what it’s worth, it seems like the team is responding. The Nuggets pulled off a miraculous comeback in Game 1, and despite the odds, lead their second-round series with the Thunder, 1-0. Maybe this type of fire from Jokic is exactly what the Nuggets needed all along.