The most surprising player from each NBA team this season
By Connor Learn
Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic
Like a majority of international players, Nikola Jokic was an unknown to most fans when the Nuggets selected him in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft. Jokic was stashed overseas for a season and then brought over with low expectations prior to last year. He surprised most Nuggets fans with his rookie season in which he was able to start 55 games. Jokic averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds per game en route to finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting.
Despite an impressive rookie season and impressive highlights, most casual NBA fans didn’t take notice of Nikola Jokic. He began this season starting alongside fellow center Jusuf Nurkic — a twin-towers experiment that failed. However, once Jokic began playing the center position, his season took off. In only 26 minutes per game, he has averaged 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists.
Coach Mike Malone hasn’t hesitated to run his offense through Jokic, and it has paid benefits. He has established himself as one of the game’s best passing bigs. Jokic played like a legitimate All-Star during the month of January and brought the Nuggets to the verge of a playoff spot. He has played better than even his biggest fans expected him to. It looks as if the Nuggets may have unearthed a franchise player in the 21-year-old Serbian.