Nikola Jokic Showing Nuggets He's More Than Ready for This Season

Throughout the Denver Nuggets' offseason, there’s been some lingering chatter surrounding Nikola Jokic asking whether or not he can continue to produce at a historic level for yet another season.

Does he still have what it takes? Is he ready for another grueling season of trying to will this Nuggets roster to another deep run in the playoffs?

Well, if anyone had any doubts that Nikola Jokic wouldn’t quite be himself this season, the Nuggets posted a video of Jokic in practice receiving a pass in the low post from Jamal Murray that might be a bit of a sign of what's to come this season.

With his back to the bucket, without hesitation, Jokic tossed the ball—no, “tossed” sounds like he did it unintentionally and haphazardly. This was no accident.

Let me try this again.

While drifting in the air to his right, the Serbian Savant methodically and blindly shot the ball backwards, hand high in the air, the ball rolling off of his fingertips, kissing the glass, and slipping through the net as if a drop of rain was sliding down a windowpane.

Can anyone honestly say that they’re surprised to see this? And yet we still are.

We first say, “How on earth did he do that?” Followed by, “Of course he did that. It’s Jokic.”

But, as Allen Iverson would say, “We ain’t talking about the game. We’re talking about practice.” So, Jokic might do these things in practice, but he wouldn’t do something like that in a game, right?

Well, AI might disagree. But practice makes perfect. And in the Nuggets' first preseason game against the Utah Jazz, the Joker did something just as unlikely, unbelievable, and perfectly Jokic-like as he did in practice that captured a ton of attention.

Nikola Jokic's Unreal Pass in Preseason Game vs. Jazz

In the first quarter of the Nuggets' Sunday action in the CU Events Center, Jokic dribbled the ball while getting pushed out to the corner, and somehow slings the ball behind his back like a skeet launcher down the baseline.

The ball smokes past three Jazz defenders, only to arrive at the opposite corner into the hands of Cam Johnson, who shot that skeet out of the air for a go ahead three.

It’s one of the best assists you’ll ever see. Ever. The fact that he saw the lane, and was able to execute the pass—adding on the fact that Cam Johnson acted like he was expecting it—is just plain crazy.

And the question once again is: How does he do it? Answer: Oh, it’s Nikola Jokic.

The man had seven assists in just 14 minutes of playing time—one of which was another one of his famously casual quarterback-like, cross-court darts to a healthy Christian Braun, who scored the touchdown by dunking—ie. spiking—the ball on Svi Mykhailiuk’s head.

At the risk of sounding dramatic to some, I have to say that watching Jokic play basketball is like watching Kareem, Magic, and Bird all at once. He’s still that good and that special.

Jokic is the best passer in the world. We just witnessed one of the greatest assists of all time—and it’s only the preseason! The NBA preseason is lucky if even a quarter of its normal viewership watches an exhibition game in early October. But when someone like Jokic is on the floor, it’s worth every minute to watch a living legend.

So is Jokic really past his prime, washed-up, and not the man he once?

Tune-in and see for yourself. It’s worth the watch.

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