Nikola Jokic Has One Big Goal After Missing 17 Games Last Season

The Denver Nuggets caught the injury bug last season. Aaron Gordon missed 46 games, Christian Braun missed 38, and Peyton Watson and Cameron Johnson each missed 28. Amid all these absences, injuries also got the best of three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, causing him to miss nearly all of January and 17 total games.

This season, though, Jokic wants to turn the tide with Denver's health issues, especially his own. The 16 consecutive missed games marked the longest injury absence of his career, and now he is striving to play in all 82 games. He told the Jao Mile podcast that, even though it might be unrealistic, he wants to play every game of the NBA season.

"Maybe I'm proud of that. My wish is to play every game. I played one season of 82 games. Maybe it shouldn't be like that, maybe you need to rest a little. But I think that when you're in a certain rhythm, the game comes to you normally, and in a way you even enjoy it. Even when I was injured, when I was absent from the court for a long time for the first time, I was nervous. I can say that I was really nervous, maybe for the first time in my life," Jokic said (translated by Mozzart Sport).

It is worth noting that Jokic mentions that he had one season of 82 games, but the most he has played in his career is 80, twice. He is likely referring to when he played all 72 games of the shortened 2020-21 season, when he won his first MVP award, but he has never played all 82 games in a season.

Of course, that is worth correcting because it shows how incredible it would be if Jokic were actually able to play in all 82 games this season. Even Jokic, who rarely misses games due to injury, has never completed an 82-game season, and that might be for good reason.

Jokic should not push himself to 82 games

Apr 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) reacts in the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As Jokic mentions, he needs to rest a little. Sure, it sucked when he missed 17 games last season, barely even staying eligible for end-of-season awards, but the Nuggets are likely better off with him having some time off before the playoffs than with him pushing himself to 82 games.

Over the last few years, it feels like the Nuggets' health is hanging on by a thread heading into the playoffs. Whether that is an issue that could be resolved with changes to the medical staff or not, there is no way the Nuggets would allow Jokic to push himself for 35 minutes per night for 82 games, regardless of who is on the staff.

The Nuggets only go as far as Jokic takes them. If the superstar center is banged up or tired in the playoffs, then the harsh reality is that the team has no chance. They are already falling behind teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, so the only way they come out of the Western Conference is if they are fully healthy in the playoffs.

Even if Jokic desperately wants to play in every game this season, the Nuggets are better off limiting him to give him some much-needed rest. Of course, Jokic could just be saying he simply wants to stay healthy for all 82 games, which would be incredible, but there should not be a season where he plays every game.

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