Nikola Jokic was listed as questionable leading up to Sunday’s game against the Grizzlies, but he has now been ruled out for personal reasons. Jokic will miss his second straight game after missing Friday night’s loss in New Orleans.
This comes after Jokic played in all of the team’s first 10 games of the season, getting off to a torrid start, and declaring himself the heavy favorite to win his fourth MVP award in five years. But without the Joker, Denver looked lost, putting up just 94 points in an ugly loss to the Pelicans on Friday night.
Is there any reason for longterm concern with Jokic?
The good news is that Jokic is not suffering from any injury, he is just away from the team for personal reasons - which appear to be the birth of his son. This is a happy moment for Nikola and his family, and one that he should savor and enjoy for as long as possible. He should return to the team and pick up where he left off later this week.
Unfortunately for the Nuggets, this puts them in a difficult situation on Sunday night as the team simply is not equipped to play without Jokic. Aaron Gordon also remains out with a hip injury, so the team will be missing its starting frontcourt in Memphis.
Jamal Murray needs to step up
This would be a great opportunity for Jamal Murray to break out and show that he can still be the team's star and leader on any given night. It has been a slow and concerning start to the season for Murray, with a few games missed due to a concussion mixed in. The team needs him more than ever without Jokic, and on Friday night, he was not able to pick up the slack.
Otherwise, it will be a very heavy dose of Russell Westbrook and Michael Porter Jr. Hopefully, they can get some kind of offensive boost from Christian Braun, Julian Strawther, and Peyton Watson. But even against a Grizzlies team playing without Ja Morant, the Nuggets may be grasping at straws in this one.
Will Jokic be back on Tuesday?
Realistically at this point, Jokic will also likely be listed as questionable for personal reasons again on Tuesday night. Further complicating the situation, the Nuggets will remain in Memphis to play a two-game miniseries. That will be the Nuggets’ second group play game in the NBA Cup, and one they must win to stay alive for the Cup.
But there’s a chance Jokic doesn’t make the trip at all, takes a few extra days, and rejoins the team when they get back to Denver on Wednesday. And that would be totally understandable. Jokic deserves as much time away as he wants.