Jokic Opens 2026-27 Healthy, Splits First Five Games as Nuggets Find a Rhythm
Nikola Jokic is not on the injury report and has played all five of Denver's games to open the 2026-27 season, going 3-2 with a big 22-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist night against Chicago. He's coming off a 2025-26 season in which he averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists for the Nuggets.
By the Nuggets Nightly Desk · updated 4 d ago01The story of the nightNo Injury Concerns to Start the YearJokic is not on the injury report, and there is no injury history to track for him entering this stretch of the…
Jokic is not on the injury report, and there is no injury history to track for him entering this stretch of the schedule. For a center who logs heavy minutes — he averaged 34.8 minutes a night last season — a clean bill of health through the first five games matters. Denver has leaned on him early, playing him 30.8 minutes in the win over the Lakers on October 16 and 26.5 minutes in the win over Chicago on October 11. The two shorter outings, 16.5 minutes against the Clippers and 16.3 and 15.1 minutes in the back-to-back with Utah, suggest the staff is still managing his workload rather than any physical issue. Nothing in his file points to concern right now.
02Through Five GamesDenver has split its first five games with Jokic on the floor, winning three and losing two.
Denver has split its first five games with Jokic on the floor, winning three and losing two. He had 17 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists in 30.8 minutes in the October 16 win over the Lakers, a plus-9.0 night. Against the Clippers on October 14, a loss, he managed just 5 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists in 16.5 minutes. His best scoring night came October 11 against Chicago: 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in 26.5 minutes in a win, plus-6.0. The Utah back-to-back was mixed — a 6-point, 4-rebound, 5-assist win on October 6 followed by a 3-point, 3-rebound, 7-assist loss on October 4, where he finished minus-13.0.
03Last Season by the NumbersIn 2025-26, Jokic played 65 games for Denver and averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 1.4 steals and…
In 2025-26, Jokic played 65 games for Denver and averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks in 34.8 minutes a night. He turned the ball over 3.7 times per game but shot an efficient 56.9 percent from the field, 38.0 percent from three and 83.1 percent from the line, good for a 67.0 true shooting percentage. His usage rate sat at 28.9, and Denver was plus-8.5 with him on the floor. Those numbers are from last season, not this one, but they set the bar for what he's capable of as he works through the early games of 2026-27.
04Flashback: The April Series Against MinnesotaJokic's last run of games in 2025-26 came against Minnesota in late April.
Jokic's last run of games in 2025-26 came against Minnesota in late April. On April 20, he had 24 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists in 40.3 minutes in a win. The next three games went the other way: 27 points, 15 rebounds and 3 assists in a loss on April 23, 24 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists in a loss on April 25, and 27 points, 12 rebounds and 16 assists in a win on April 27, that one a plus-18.0 night. The stretch closed April 30 with 28 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists in 43.4 minutes, a minus-9.0 loss. He was rebounding at a 15-per-game clip for three straight games in that stretch.
05The ProfileJokic wears No.
Jokic wears No. 15 for Denver and plays center. He's listed at 6-11 and 284 pounds, he's 31 years old, and he's in his 11th NBA season. He came up through Mega Basket before his NBA career. At his size and with his passing numbers — 10.7 assists a game last season — he remains one of the most unusual players at his position in the league, a center who also ran Denver's offense through the middle of the floor last year with a 28.9 usage rate.
Jokic27.7 ppg
Embiid26.9 ppg
