A tweak or two on each end has helped make the seemingly impossible plausible.
Whether it’s more zone defense and different pick-and-roll coverage on defense or increased 3-point attempts and more time spent operating at the elbow on offense, Nikola Jokic has managed to elevate his game to another level to start his 11th season with the Nuggets.
“Nikola is playing fantastic basketball,” first-year teammate Jonas Valanciunas said after Friday’s win over Golden State. “He’s … I don’t know. It’s hard to describe.”
Heading into Saturday’s game against the Pacers, Jokic is on pace to set new career highs or match his previous best in 3-point attempts (4.9), assists (11.6), steals (2) and blocks (.9) per game, while scoring more efficiently than he ever has with a 72% true-shooting percentage and 69% effective field goal percentage.
Let’s start on offense.
In his first year with full control over the offense, Nuggets coach David Adelman tried to get Jokic off the block a bit more. The hope is it limits the physical toll for a high-usage player over an 82-game regular season and what could be another long post-season.
“It just was a thought I had. I also just think with the roster being deeper, we think we can get away with playing the game more fluid, as opposed to just force-feeding him the ball all the time, because I just think naturally getting hit, getting beat up, getting bumped going from block to block (with) the way teams front him, we’ve had to move him around over the years,” Adelman explained his thought process prior to Wednesday’s win over Miami.
“We’ve started him on the left side, and he runs across to the right side, and three different people get a chance to hit him. I know he’s a big guy, but that does wear on you.”
In classic fashion, Jokic said he doesn’t think the difference in a couple of post ups per game would make a big difference. In more classic Jokic fashion, he’s putting his personal opinion to the side in favor of doing what has been asked of him to the best of his ability.
“I really enjoy to play the low-post game. I think it’s something … I don’t want to say my identity, but that’s something that I personally love to play on the block,” Jokic said after the Miami game. “I think in the flow of the game, you can find those empty spots and create for others and screen for others or be aggressive in different places on the floor.”
Defensively, the Nuggets have let Jokic play a little farther down the court against pick-and-rolls. Adelman is also using a variety of zone defenses that require Jokic’s vision and voice on the other end.
“He’s been great, especially in some of the pick-and-roll coverages that are different. He had been up so much over the years, and for good reason, but we’re trying to take that away a little bit,” Adelman said. “His hands have been incredible. Communication on the back line of the zone is so important. It’s probably the most important thing if you’re going to be successful at it. Whether that’s baseline runners or guys flashing to the middle, you’re communicating to both the bottom wings – you’re communicating to the two guards up top, depending on what zone you’re in.”
“He’s been great. The communication has been at a high level,” the coach added.
Here’s how those two tweaks have helped the Nuggets start the four-game homestand with three wins:
Sacramento Kings guard Russell Westbrook (18) looks to pass the ball as Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Monday vs. Kings
Score: Nuggets 130, Kings 123
Stat line: 34 points (14-22 FG, 4-10 3PT, 2-3 FT), 7 rebounds, 14 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 1 turnover in 36 minutes
Coach speak before: “Jokic uses his gravity with using all of his players at his disposal to make sure he can facilitate,” Kings coach Doug Christie said. “He’s also aggressive.”
Coach speak after: “We know who he is. He’s a monster, man,” Christie said.
“Listen, if you’re going to give him a wide-open shot, he’s going to take it. … He’s a special player.”
What stood out: It’s not often Jokic’s defense gets the top billing, but that should be the case after the game against Sacramento. The Kings went with an undersized lineup with Domantas Sabonis at center surrounded by four guards. The six combined steals and blocks were the most of his season.
Instead of swatting the ball at or near its peak, the blocks came when Dennis Schroder and DeMar DeRozan gathered the ball before going up. The steals were a product of tipped passes, a couple of dislodged balls in the post and one clean interception.
“Jok doesn’t get the credit he deserves on defense. He’s always top two, top three in steals and deflections,” Aaron Gordon said after the win over Miami.
“He’s doing more this year on the defensive side. He’s just so smart, so he understands the game. The better we understand our defensive schemes as a group, the better he’s going to look,” Gordon added.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, right, passes the ball as Miami Heat forward Simone Fontecchio (0) defends in the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Wednesday vs. Heat
Score: Nuggets 122, Heat 112
Stat line: 33 points (12-18 FG, 2-5 3PT, 7-8 FT), 15 rebounds, 16 assists, 3 steals, 0 blocks, 3 turnovers in 37 minutes
Coach speak before: “Jokic can get you turned and twisted in a lot of different ways,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before The Denver Gazette asked how Jokic was being used differently from prior years.
“It’s not really a surprise to see that (Adelman) has tapped into some of the stuff his dad was doing in Sacramento. They were already doing a lot of that. Jokic is the most versatile center. He can enter offense. You can play him in the post. You can play him in the high post. They’re getting a little bit more in the elbow areas where Rick was so famous for kind of changing the league and using (Vlade) Divac and their bigs at the elbow and running offense through there. Wherever you get him the ball, it’s a nightmare. They’re very intentional about how they’re using his strengths.”
Coach speak after: “Jokic manages every aspect of the game,” Spoelstra said.
“He’s playing the scoreboard. He knows intuitively when those swing moments are, when there’s an opportunity to take a six or eight-point lead and push it to 12 or 14. He won all of those battles whether it be an assist or offensive rebound or to score or bust out in transition and get an easy opportunity. I could go on and on and on, but he dominates those aspects of the game.”
What stood out: The assists were a new season high against a Miami team that mixed up its defensive looks, and a series of missed layups prevented him from flirting with another 20-assist game.
The Heat defense was diminished by Bam Adebayo’s absence after the first quarter, but Jokic recorded three assists when Miami’s center was still in the game. It was the typical mix of finding cuts off split action, dribble handoffs, handling in the pick and roll, and finding the open man when double-teamed. Jokic also threw some ridiculous passes, like a left-handed, behind-the-back bounce pass to Christian Braun for a missed layup.
“Some angles are different. That’s why the passes look so fun or ridiculous,” Jokic explained after the game.
“Sometimes you need to (make) a weird pass or whatever just because of the angle or the defender or to trick other defenders. … Sometimes I throw the pass and I think, ‘Oh, this is not going through,’ and it doesn’t, but I think you need to try it. Then you will know for sure for the next time.”
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić (15) looks to shoot for a basket over Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) in the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Friday vs. Warriors
Score: Nuggets 129, Warriors 104
Stat line: 26 points (12-15 FG, 2-3 3PT, 0-0 FT), 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 0 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover in 28 minutes
Coach speak before: “I would use Nikola Jokic at any part of the floor – elbow, straight on, on the block. The guy is unstoppable, but it creates different angles on their high-split game. They’ve been doing that for years,” Steve Kerr said.
“It’s really hard to guard. They put a lot of pressure on you. … It seems to change some of the angles a little bit on those splits. They’ve done a really good job of implementing some new stuff that’s really difficult.”
Coach speak after: The Warriors coach wasn’t happy with his team’s level of fight in a lopsided loss. “It’s pretty tough when it happens against one of the best teams in the league with the best player in the world,” he said.
What stood out: After missing his first shot – a turnaround, mid-range jumper over Draymond Green in the first 90 seconds – Jokic was almost perfect from the field.
A Trayce Jackson-Davis block and an errant 3-pointer in the final minutes of the second quarter were Jokic’s only other misses. He made his final seven shots, as Denver put away the Warriors in a rematch of the season-opener.
Since the loss in Golden State, when the best player in franchise history went an uncharacteristic 8 of 23 from the field, Jokic has shot 63% from the field or better and led Denver to a 6-1 record in the last seven games. It doesn’t seem to matter whether teams guard him straight up, send double teams at different times or use a zone.
“He was made to play against different defenses. He has a feel for space that I’ve never seen before. Whether it’s zone or matchup zone or a man defense – whether they’re doubling him or they’re not – his comfort level with how he sees the floor is second to none,” Adelman said after the win over the Heat.
“This is something that you’re never going to see again.”