Shams Charania recently revealed that Nikola Jokic could return to the Denver Nuggets as soon as the NBA All-Star Break, which is around the second or third week of February, if things go according to plan.
According to the ESPN insider, the Denver Nuggets star is progressing well in his rehab, already doing some light on-court work a few weeks after hyperextending his knee against the Miami Heat.
“Nikola Jokic is rehabbing around the clock,” Charania detailed on NBA Today. “It’s really been every few hours that he’s been weight lifting, getting cardio in on the bike, he’s been icing that knee, and I am told he has started spot shooting on the court.”
“The Nuggets won’t be rushing Nikola Jokic back; he’s still weeks away from a potential return. You’re looking at the end of this month as a window for that. They still need to build some movement, sprinting, running, cutting, and that’s going to take place over the coming weeks,” he continued. “In the meantime, before Nuggets player development coaches can begin working on Jokic, they will do three-on-three, five-on-five. They’ve got their own player development guys that they’ve been concentrating on: Jalen Pickett, Zeke Nnaji, to step up in Jokic’s absence.”
Denver Nuggets News: Jamal Murray in danger to miss second straight game
Jamal Murray missed the Denver Nuggets’ morale-boosting road victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday due to a left ankle sprain, and is iffy to play against the streaking Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.
If Murray remains on the sidelines, the Denver Nuggets will likely call on Jalen Pickett to start in his place for the second consecutive match. The 26-year-old guard had a career-high 29 points, five rebounds, seven assists, and seven three-pointers on 11-for-20 shooting against Philadelphia.
Christian Braun (ankle), Aaron Gordon (hamstring), and Tim Hardaway Jr. (illness) are also listed as questionable to play against the Boston Celtics.
