Nikola Jokic’s summer in Serbia is doing what Nikola Jokic’s summers usually do: reminding everybody that he operates on his own schedule.
The Denver Nuggets star was back home for one of his regular offseason rituals, rafting with friends, and new photos from the trip quickly spread across social media. The reaction wasn’t just about the setting. Fans immediately noticed that the three-time MVP looked leaner than he has in past summers, with the slimmer look drawing plenty of attention from Nuggets supporters.
Jokic has never been the league’s textbook superstar body type. At 6-foot-11 and well over 280 pounds, he has built his greatness on skill, feel, and stamina rather than a sculpted frame.
Questions about his conditioning have followed him at times, but each offseason he has quietly gone to work on his body anyway. This latest look suggests that routine is still very much in place.
That matters because the timing around Denver is a little uneasy. The Nuggets are coming off a first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and their offseason has been quiet. Marvin Bagley III and Tyus Jones are in, but the roster has also lost veterans, and there’s been plenty of wondering about whether this group is strong enough to contend in the West.
There have also been conflicting reports around Jokic’s future, even though he has said he wants to spend his entire career with the Nuggets. The team was reported to have put everyone except Jokic up for grabs, but the moves since then have hardly changed the outlook in Denver’s favor.
Jokic, though, doesn’t seem interested in any of that noise. He’s back in Serbia with family and friends, doing what has become his annual offseason pattern. Rafting is part of it, along with horse racing and other outdoor activities before he turns his attention fully to the coming season.
And laid-back doesn’t mean unmotivated.
Last season, Jokic put together another ridiculous line: 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game while shooting 56.9% from the field and 38.0% from three. He finished second in MVP voting and picked up his sixth All-NBA First Team selection.
There was also a rare setback. Jokic hyperextended his left knee and missed four weeks, an injury that may have cost him the MVP award since he had been leading that race before it happened. A slimmer frame could be part of keeping that knee from taking extra stress going forward.
For Denver, the biggest issue still sits beyond Jokic himself. The front office has the burden of building a roster that can keep up after another early playoff exit, and the Western Conference has only gotten tougher. The Nuggets, at the moment, look like a team trying to avoid slipping further from the top.
What they do have is a superstar who already looks locked in for next season. If this version of Jokic is the one Denver gets again, the Nuggets can at least feel good about one thing: another MVP-level run is still on the table.
In Other News...
Nuggets May Be Forced To Revisit A Free Agent Fans Never Expected
The Nuggets have been busy shaping the back end of the roster, signing Alpha Diallo while also weighing what comes next with restricted free agents Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones. Even with those decisions still in motion, Denvers bigger concern remains the same: the team could use more guard depth and another steady ball-handler behind the main rotation.
Russell Westbrooks name is now back in the conversation because of that need, even after one season in Denver left a complicated ending. The Nuggets are looking at a thin backup-guard picture, and with Westbrook available again, the idea of revisiting a player few expected to circle back has become part of the discussion. [Read more 🡒]
Jokic Looks Ready But Nuggets Fans Still Have One Offseason Fear
Nikola Jokic has reportedly been in good shape this offseason, and that alone is enough to calm some nerves in Denver after a summer that has brought more subtraction than splash. The Nuggets have added Marvin Bagley III and Tyus Jones, but they also lost Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas, leaving the front office with a thinner margin for error as it tries to keep the roster competitive around its star center.
Denver has created cap space, yet the bigger concern for Nuggets fans is what has not happened so far. The team has been working on new deals for Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones, but the overall pace of the offseason has been quiet, and there still has not been a major move to strengthen the group for next season. [Read more 🡒]