Somehow, against all odds, Nikola Jokic has returned this season and gotten even better. Ironically enough, a big part of the reason for Jokic’s stunning improvement is the Oklahoma City Thunder. When OKC knocked the Nuggets out of the playoffs last season in round two, it triggered a number of things that are contributing to the Joker’s early-season dominance.
For one, in a recent Game Theory Podcast, Sam Vecenie of the Athletic theorized that Jokic is more athletic than ever before, and credited the extra rest stemming from losing to the Thunder. Jokic had extra time to rest in the offseason before coming back for training camp.
He looks faster, stronger, and more explosive than ever, with Vecenie ever referencing a tomahawk dunk in transition the other night. On top of the extra rest and time off, the Thunder also provided motivation for Jokic. They set the mark, and that team isn’t going away any time soon.
Jokic saw firsthand what it’s going to take for him to win another title, and he seems to have taken it to heart. As good as he was last year, he knows that it wasn’t good enough, and he’ll need to be even better. So far, he has been.
Thunder set the bar for Nuggets
Beyond a personal level, everyone in the Nuggets’ organization saw the buzzsaw that was the Thunder last season. They know that the team is only going to grow and get better in the coming years. There’s no way they could look themselves in the mirror and say that the Nuggets’ roster was good enough to get past OKC.
After losing two years ago to the Timberwolves, there was still a reasonable case to be made that the Nuggets had the best team and just fell victim to a tough matchup and a championship hangover. But after seeing the Thunder steamroll their way to a title, there was no denying it: the roster needed to improve.
And with that inspiration, Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace went out and recreated the roster around Jokic. They swung multiple big trades and signed multiple impact, veteran free agents. The proof is in the pudding, as the Nuggets are off to an amazing 10-2 start, while Jokic is the clear MVP favorite.
If this team can keep gelling and stay healthy, they’re on a collision course with the Thunder in the playoffs, and we’ll get to see just how much the OKC motivation ultimately helped.