The Denver Nuggets have been ravaged by injuries this season. They impressively beat the Philadelphia 76ers last night despite having every single one of their starters out. As impressive as that was, they can’t count on that every night, and everyone knows the return of Nikola Jokić would vault them up so much, no matter who plays besides him.
That’s why everyone is keeping their eyes peeled for when the three-time MVP will return to the Nuggets. Jokić last played on Dec. 29, 2025, and while he avoided a catastrophic injury, his absence makes every game he doesn’t play count a lot for the Nuggets.
Nuggets Going Slow but Steady in Handling Nikola Jokić’s Injury
ESPN’s Shams Charania revealed Jokić’s current status with his recovery, although he didn’t provide a specific timetable for his return to the Nuggets.
“Nikola Jokic is rehabbing around the clock,” Charania said in a clip aggregated by the X account, “Oh No He Didn’t.”
“It’s really been every few hours, he’s been weightlifting, he’s been getting cardio in on the bike, he’s been icing that knee, and I am told he has started spot shooting on the court. The Nuggets won’t be rushing Nikola Jokić back. He’s still weeks away from a potential return, so you’re looking at the end of this month as a window for that.”
Shams: “Nikola Jokic is rehabbing around the clock…I am told he has started spot shooting on the court…you’re looking at the end of this month as a window (for a return)” pic.twitter.com/1aaPYVod3K
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) January 6, 2026
As evidenced by their win over the Sixers last night, the Nuggets have managed just fine without Jokić, but there’s no telling if they can keep the winning streak rolling without him. This is the first time he has suffered any kind of injury that would set him back for a couple of weeks, so this is definitely an unfamiliar situation for both him and the Nuggets.
The Nuggets are fortunate enough that Jokić’s knee injury was nothing more than a hyperextension, so while they would obviously prefer that he be back as soon as possible, they also don’t want to risk making it worse if he isn’t 100%. Even if his injury costs them homecourt advantage in the postseason, they’d rather have him there in his full strength than have him get hurt at the worst time because they didn’t manage his injury well.
Before getting injured, the Serbian native was posting stellar numbers of 29.6 points, and NBA-leading 12.2 rebounds and 11 assists per game while shooting a scorching 60.5% from the field.
