Several years ago, no one ever thought that Nikola Jokic was going to be as good as he is nowadays.
He was out of shape, unathletic, slow, and slid all the way to the second round of the Draft. The Denver Nuggets, however, saw the potential and slowly unleashed him.
But, as great as he was during his first couple of seasons as a starter, he still struggled to stay in front of other big men because of his physical condition. That finally changed during the league’s COVID-19 hiatus.
Jokic showed up to the bubble slimmer than ever. It clearly showed on his game, even if he finished the season pretty gassed.
Gladly, Jokic kept on the hard work during the offseason and entered last year in even better conditioning, being the only player to appear in all 72 games of the regular season.
And now, judging by a clip posted by the Nuggets, it seems like Jokic is in the best shape of his career, even better than last season.
Nikola Jokic appears to be in the best shape of his career. 💪
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) September 9, 2021
Jokic is coming off the best campaign of his career, winning MVP honors after averaging 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.3 three-pointers per game on 56/38/86 shooting splits and 34.6 minutes per game.
He’s never been much of an athlete or a dunker. But in the clip, you can see him with some new-found hops and a slim, strong figure. That’s a scary thought for the rest of the league.
The Nuggets will likely be without Jamal Murray to start the season. That will only put even more pressure on Jokic’s shoulders to keep the team afloat over the first couple of months.
But, not to get too carried away with that clip, he looks ready to take the league by storm again.
