Sean Elliott couldn’t hold it back any longer. Nikola Jokic’s 3-pointer near the end of the Nuggets’ loss Wednesday night at San Antonio sealed the fact that Elliott would be raving about Jokic during the Spurs’ television broadcast.
“He’s looking like (Dirk) Nowitzki out there,” said Elliott, half in jest but fully impressed with the Denver rookie’s talent.
Jokic’s career-high 23 points and 12 rebounds against one of the NBA’s best teams was the latest example of why the Nuggets are so bullish on the 20-year-old Serb.
“His feel for the game, his skill level, he’s got great hands, he’s so good at getting deflections and steals,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “We’re so excited about his progress and his potential because we think in Emmanuel (Mudiay) and Nikola we have two great young players.”
Jokic didn’t play the night before, in New Orleans, because of the flow of that game. Malone played smaller lineups against New Orleans in an effort to match the Pelicans’ personnel. It worked as the Nuggets pulled away in the fourth quarter for an easy victory. That relegated the 6-foot-10, 250-pound Jokic to being little more than a spectator.
Against the much taller Spurs, Jokic put all of his skills on full display. He shot 8-of-13 from the field, and six of his 12 rebounds came on the offensive glass.
Jokic was at his best in pick-and-roll situations. He was 5-for-6 when rolling to the rim, making layups and floaters over the likes of Tim Duncan, LaMarcus Aldridge and David West.
“He’s been great,” Denver guard Gary Harris said of Jokic. “He’s tall, he’s great at getting rebounds because he’s so long. He doesn’t even jump for half the rebounds he gets. His touch is great. He works hard. I see all of the work he puts in.”
The Nuggets took a risk, drafting Jokic a year early with the 41st overall pick in 2014. They had a feeling that if they waited a year, he’d be a known commodity and be in much higher demand. That gamble is paying off.
Jokic is averaging 7.0 points and 4.6 rebounds and shooting 56.4 percent from the field while averaging just 15.2 minutes per game. He signed with the Nuggets in July and has been with them for only four months.
Duncan found the time to strike up a short conversation with Jokic on the court.
“I spoke with Tim Duncan. Funny guy, good guy,” Jokic said. “I was enjoying the game.”
At one point Duncan asked if Jokic could shoot 3-pointers. The rookie’s response? “So-so.”
Soon after, he nailed the 3-pointer that got everyone talking. In the Denver locker room, Malone walked over to Jokic to congratulate him for playing so well. The only thing Jokic really wanted to talk about was how the Nuggets could play better.
“The offense will come because we have good players,” Jokic said. “We have to get better on defense.”
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or @dempseypost
PHOENIX AT DENVER 7 p.m. Friday, ALT; 950 AM
Spotlight on Brandon Knight:
Among many lamentable things to come out of the Nuggets’ loss at Phoenix nearly a week ago, their defense against potent scoring guard Brandon Knight wasn’t one of them. The Nuggets held Knight to 10 points — 10.5 under his season average — and 4-of-12 shooting. But Knight has heated up since that meeting, averaging 26.5 points and 9.5 assists per game, so the Nuggets will have their hands full trying to keep him in check.
NOTEBOOK
Nuggets:
Center Joffrey Lauvergne (back injury) won’t play Friday against Phoenix. He has missed nine consecutive games. … After going 0-2 at home to start the season, the Nuggets are looking for their fourth consecutive victory at the Pepsi Center. … This is the start of a four-game homestand for the Nuggets.
Suns:
They don’t have any players listed on their injury report. When they last faced the Nuggets, they were without Markieff Morris, who didn’t play because of a sprained knee. … This is only the fourth road game of the season for the Suns, who are 1-2 away from Talking Stick Resort Arena. They have played eight games at home, going 5-3.
Christopher Dempsey, The Denver Post
