By R.L. Bynum
Nikola Jokić’s rise to stardom began with what seemed like a bold coaching move at the time by Michael Malone.
Jokić was a second-round pick and was playing behind first-round pick Jusuf Nurkić when the Denver Nuggets’ coach went against conventional NBA logic in a decision that reshaped the franchise and Jokić’s career.
Malone will face plenty of decisions on roster construction in the coming weeks and during the season as Carolina’s coach. Few will be more consequential than his decision on Jokić, made on Dec. 15, 2016.
As Altitude Sports host Nate Krekman put it in a Wednesday interview on the “Ovies and Giglio” podcast (the interview starts at 1:09:56 in this video), Dec. 15 has become an unofficial holiday for Nuggets fans known as “Jokmas.”
Krekman called it “the single most transformative day in the history of that franchise.”
When Malone took over in Denver for the 2015–16 season, the franchise believed it already knew who its center of the future was. Nurkić, selected 16th overall in the 2014 draft, fit the prototype teams had long valued: big, physical, and imposing near the rim.
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Jokić, chosen 41st in that same draft, arrived without fanfare and without obvious traits that screamed franchise cornerstone. He was skilled and clever, but initially deployed as a complementary piece rather than a focal point.
Malone, however, quickly began to see a mismatch between how the Nuggets were constructed on paper and how they functioned on the floor. Jokić was not merely moving the ball; he was organizing the offense in ways that elevated every player’s game.
Denver tried to make a Jokić–Nurkić pairing viable, but by December of the 2016–17 season, the experiment had reached its breaking point. Malone benched Nurkić and installed Jokić as the full-time starter.
“For Michael Malone, he didn’t give a rip that Nicola was the second-round pick,” Krekman said on the podcast. “It was, ‘No, that’s the guy that can play. OK, that’s the dude I need to go and get.’
“He will put his ego aside if he knows it’s going to make the basketball team better,” Krekman said. “That dude will do anything that he needs to do, and will set his ego aside to win basketball games.”
With Jokić starting, possessions flowed more cleanly when he touched the ball early. Shooters found better shots. Defenders were forced into impossible choices by a center who processed the game faster than most guards.
Once Jokić assumed control of the starting role, the transformation of Denver’s offense was immediate and unmistakable. Jokić became the engine of a system built around movement, decision-making and precision.
The ball stopped sticking, assist totals climbed, and the Nuggets began to develop an identity that revolved around Jokić’s vision rather than fighting against it.
The organizational implications became unavoidable within weeks. Nurkić was traded to Portland in February 2017. Malone had a fully committed bet on Jokić as the franchise’s star.
Jokić’s ascent was enabled by a coach willing to make what felt like a bold move at the time. Jokić evolved into an All-NBA fixture, then a multiple-time MVP, and eventually the leader of a championship team.
Photo via @nuggets
