It's been 29 days since Nikola Jokić last suited up for the Denver Nuggets, so in other words, it's felt like an eternity. He suffered a left knee hyperextension in a game against the Heat on Dec. 29, and the team announced he'd be re-evaluated in four weeks. That amount of time has passed, and on Tuesday, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported that the star center would be re-evaluated in a week.
You shouldn't have expected the Nuggets to clear Jokić to return after four weeks, although, as Charania said, he has been progressing well. In fact, the insider added that the big man is in "the ramp-up phase," which, obviously, is great news.
What isn't great is that Jokić can miss only three more games, including tonight's against Detroit, before he will be ineligible for end-of-season awards. Charania specifically touched on that, saying that Denver is "weighing the team's long-term health and success over the course of the entire season more than just him being eligible for postseason awards like MVP and All-NBA."
Shams: "The Denver Nuggets will reevaluate Nikola Jokic in about a week. He is making great progress, he's in the ramp up phase of his return to play process" pic.twitter.com/QKp0M2SzII
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) January 27, 2026
Nuggets star Nikola Jokić will be re-evaluated in one week
Denver will play four games before next Tuesday, so Jokić's run at another MVP award and All-NBA team is out of the question for this season, as he won't meet the 65-game requirement.
As unfortunate (and unfair) as that is, what really matters is his health for the rest of the season. Rushing him back before he's truly ready to return so that he could be an MVP finalist and earn another All-NBA nod would be malpractice.
Jokić didn't enter the season with adding more individual accolades to his resume at the forefront of his mind, or anywhere in his mind for that matter. He's focused on winning another championship, and so are the Nuggets. They've been burned far too many times this season with injuries, so taking the cautious approach with their superstar is something fans should appreciate.
Yes, it would be nice to see him win another MVP, but not nearly as nice as it'd be to watch Denver hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy again, its second in three years. The Nuggets retooled the roster over the summer with that in mind, and ironically, Jokić's injury (as well as the others) has proven that this team is more than capable of getting there. Of course, they can't do it without him, though.