Nikola Jokic Update Puts MVP Chances in Serious Jeopardy

Before their upcoming matchup against the East's currently number-one seeded Detroit Pistons, the Denver Nuggets announced some good news, with a bit of underlying bad news concerning their superstar big man Nikola Jokic, who's been sidelined for the past four weeks with a hyperextended left knee.

The good news: Jokic is in the "ramp-up phase" of recovery from his injured knee that puts him on track to be re-evaluated in one week, meaning the return of the three-time MVP is right around the corner after a near-month long absence from the Nuggets' lineup.

The bad news: that timeline puts him on pace to miss the next three games of the Nuggets' regular season, which would immediately leave him just shy of being able to reach the league's 65-game minimum for end-of-season awards, thus ending his hopes of being able to come away with a fourth MVP at the end of this year.

With Jokic already ruled out against the Pistons, it'll mark his 15th missed game of the season so far. It leaves just a narrow two-game window that he can miss before being declared ineligible, and one that, if all holds for form, he'll be on track to be out for longer than.

Nikola Jokic MVP Hopes Take Major Hit

Jokic has been out of the Nuggets' lineup since going down with his knee injury initially on December 29th against the Miami Heat, which would see a four-week timeline for his next re-evaluation on the following day.

Before suffering his injury, there’s a real argument to be made that nobody else around the league had a more appealing MVP case than Jokic, outside of perhaps the reigning winner of the award with the OKC Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

In the 32 games he had played, Jokic averaged a historically unmatched 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 11.0 assists, shooting an absurdly efficient 60.5% from the field and 43.5% from three, putting up statistical anomalies seemingly on a nightly basis, especially as the Nuggets had been dealing with multiple key injuries to their rotation that called for the three-time MVP to elevate a step further.

However, in due time, that injury bug would strike Jokic. And because of the league's new ruleset implemented at the start of the 2023-24 season for player participation, it might just be the reason why he misses out on not just a fourth MVP, but any All-NBA recognition to highlight the 15 best players of the season.

Jan 18, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) reacts from the bench in the third quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Maybe there's a chance that Jokic could have a surprisingly fast recovery to try and play for that February 1st game vs. theThunder, and if he does, would then revive those hopes of a last-minute effort to push for those awards.

The more probable scenario, though, would be to see the Nuggets take the recovery process slow and steady to bring Jokic back as they have for the rest of their injured starters on the roster in order to ensure they're truly back to 100% once they finally come back to the floor.

Logically, that same principle would likely apply to making sure the best player in the world is back to full health once he's officially deemed ready to go––even if it kills his hopes of being placed in the historic four-career-MVP club that he might have a real chance at climbing into.

Nikola Jokic MVP Hopes Take Major Hit

More Denver Nuggets Content