Changes in physique the mantra for success for Nuggets talisman Nikola Jokic

 

The Denver Nuggets are soaring with a five-game winning streak in the Western Conference. While the Nuggets are in the third position in the West most of the credit goes to Nikola Jokic who has been in exceptional form this season and has bailed the team out even in Jamal Murray’s absence.

The Serbian center is easily one of the star players in the league currently and with so many matches in a season he is one of those players who has featured in each and every game for the Nuggets till now. That speaks a lot about his tenacity and physical ability considering the number of injuries that we have seen across all teams.

The 26-year-old has looked a lot healthier and has played much more aggressive basketball this season and that has been the game changer for him and the Nuggets. Jokic has led the Nuggets in every department this season, though he has some good company in Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon, he has mostly been the glue that binds the team together.

His exceptional form has made him a favourite for the regular season MVP this year and the maximum role in this has been his overall development in his physique. The Serb has always been good ever since he came to the NBA but this season things have gone a notch higher and it is mostly because he is more fitter and more energetic to drive his team home every single day.

Jokic recently spoke about his physical changes in an interview with ESPN and there he opened up about his transformation.

“I just wanted to change something you know I wanted to see can I do it can I really change my body, and I lost a lot of a lot of pounds and I feel much better you know to be honest uh I mean I still don’t run faster, I think it just maintained I don’t get tired that that fast, I can play a lot longer I think by changing my body helps me a little bit in defensive too and experience.”

His physical growth has helped him in hustling for more balls and has developed him as a better defender. However, the main change has been on the offensive side of things as here he now tries to outmuscle defenders on his way to the paint. His offensive aggression has increased and that has resulted in a potential MVP season for the ‘Joker’.

These are just the areas where he has developed this season, the Serb is still the same player who is known for his ball-handling and providing assists and finding teammates in open spaces during crunch situations. The 26-year-old currently averages a mammoth 26.2 points, 10.9 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game. Therefore there is no reason why he should not win the MVP, especially with those fantastic numbers.

“I mean I never think about it to be honest I never even I don’t I didn’t come here to want to be a mvp of the league you know. I always think someone is better than me, I want to compete to beat him just by that mentality. I’m going to be an underdog always,” Jokic shared his feelings about being the favourite for the MVP this season.