Nuggets Notes: Jokic, Holmes, Backup Center, Gordon

The Nuggets will have to find ways to win over the next month as star Nikola Jokic will reportedly miss at least the next four weeks with a knee injury.

Coach David Adelman is doing his best to stay positive despite the massive blow the injury represents. “Silver lining, it’s not season-ending but it was a very concerning moment for us,” Adelman said, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports (Twitter link). “Not just because of the player he is, it’s because I know him… He’s one of the tougher people and players I’ve ever been around.”

Jokic joined the Nuggets in Toronto for tonight’s game, but Bennett Durando of the Denver Post tweets that the decision on whether he’ll stay for the rest of the team’s road trip is up in the air, and will likely be decided by a combination of Jokic, Adelman, executive vice president of player personnel Jon Wallace, and executive vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer.

When asked about how Jokic is handling one of the most significant injuries in his playing career, Adelman said (per Lewenberg): “He’s in a good place. He always is never too high and every now and then hilariously low.”

We have more from the Nuggets:

• DaRon Holmes II views the time he’s spent with the Nuggets’ G League affiliate as a valuable chance to show the parent team what he’s capable of, according to Cyro Asseo of HoopsHype. “We’re just trying to show what we can do. And hopefully there’s an opportunity because of that. There are times in training camp when young guys like me don’t get viewed a lot because of our age or because of injuries, or youth,” Holmes said. “So hopefully this can showcase our skill set, so our coaches can see and other teams can see as well… just have fun and get my teammates involved and do things that I would do that would translate up top with the Nuggets as well.” Holmes says that he has watched Jokic closely to unlock other parts of his game, such as playmaking, cutting, and more.
• With Jokic out and Jonas Valanciunas inserted into the starting lineup, the Nuggets will have to figure out their backup center rotation. “We’ll be creative with it,” Adelman said, per Bennett Durando of the Denver Post (via Twitter). “We played a little bit of small ball in Miami with [Spencer Jones] — you can say Spence or Peyton [Watson], whatever you want to say. And obviously, we have Zeke. DaRon is with us, so we can go that way as well.” Adelman notes that they can use Watson in super small-ball lineups surrounded by shooters, and that the decision will be made with an eye towards what will help star guard Jamal Murray be the most effective.
• Aaron Gordon has taken minutes at the five in the past, Durando writes, but the history of hamstring and calf injuries that Gordon has dealt with in recent years will make the team be cautious with him. The physical toll of playing major minutes at the five after coming off a hamstring injury that has limited him to just 13 games this season could prove to be too risky, given Gordon’s importance to the team’s outlook in the playoffs.