Nikola Jokić Fantasy News and Statistics

During the NBA’s international explosion over the last 20 years, the country of Serbia hasn’t been known for producing NBA talent. Only one Serbian, Vlade Divac, has ever made the All-Star Game, so much wasn’t expected of Nikola Jokic when he joined the NBA in 2015. But the big man proved he was no European stiff and has become the franchise player for the up-and-coming Denver Nuggets.

Speaking of other Serbians, Jokic has ties to one of the most infamous players, Darko Milicic. Jokic’s older brother actually lived with Milicic and played at Detroit Mercy while the former No. 2 overall pick played for the Detroit Pistons. Seeking to avoid the problems that Milicic faced as a foreign teenager in the NBA, Jokic played out his teenage years in his native Serbia before coming stateside. He won his league’s MVP award in 2015 and was considered one of the top prospects in all of Europe.

Jokic was actually drafted in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft but didn’t join the Nuggets until the 2015-16 season. Even with starting center Jusuf Nurkic injured, Denver still brought Jokic off the bench to start the season. But the team quickly realized he was deserving of more playing time. Jokic’s minutes per game increased in every month of his rookie season, and he was named to the All-Rookie first team. Of the 10 players who made either All-Rookie team in 2015-16, Jokic was the only one selected who wasn’t a lottery pick, as he was taken No. 41 overall.

Jokic spent his first NBA offseason playing for the Serbian National Team in the 2016 Summer Olympics. Despite playing for a team with only one other NBA player, Jokic led Serbia all the way to the gold medal game, where they were defeated by Team USA. Winning a silver medal at the Olympics was a confidence boost to an already supremely-gifted player, and the entire world was able to see the immensely talented Jokic.

Entering his second season, there was still some doubt as to if Jokic’s rookie year was a fluke. The league wasn’t used to such a highly-skilled big man, and many wondered if the rest of the NBA would figure out Jokic’s game. He used that doubt as motivation, and he responded with one of the most underrated seasons in NBA history. He set a league record with six triple-doubles, which is the most-ever by a center in a single season. Only Russell Westbrook, James Harden and LeBron James recorded more triple-doubles than Jokic, who also finished second in the Most Improved Player Award voting.

After the 2016-17 season ended, Jokic withdrew from the 2017 EuroBasket tournament so he could focus on his third season with the Nuggets. He has positioned himself as the face of the franchise despite the team having many higher-drafted young players. Denver’s big free agent acquisition, Paul Millsap, is the perfect complementary player to play alongside Jokic, and Denver has a good chance at ending its five-year playoff drought.