That was a fine gesture from Jokic. The Serbian team impressed ever so much at the Olympics and came very close to making the final for the second time in the last three editions. They led by as many as 17 points against Team USA in the semifinal but were unable to hold on to that lead, eventually losing 95-91. Serbia then beat Germany 93-83 in the third-place game to ensure they at least wouldn’t walk away empty-handed.
While there was a lot to like about how well Jokic’s teammates like Bogdan Bogdanovic and Vasilije Micic played at the Olympics, the Denver Nuggets star was still easily the best player for Serbia. The three-time NBA MVP averaged 18.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks in the tournament.
Jokic capped off the tournament with 19 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block in the win over Germany and made history in the process. The 29-year-old became just the fourth player to record a triple-double in Olympic history, after Alexander Belov, LeBron James, and Luka Doncic.
Jokic also became the first player ever to lead the Olympic tournament in points, rebounds, and assists, and his efforts were rewarded with a spot on the FIBA Men’s Olympics All-Star Five. If the six-time All-Star had managed to lead Serbia past Team USA, he probably would have been named MVP as well.
Can Nikola Jokic And The Nuggets Return To The Top In 2024-25?
This time last year, Jokic and the Denver Nuggets were at the top of the mountain. They had destroyed the competition on their way to winning the NBA title and it looked like they might dominate the league for a couple of years.
The Nuggets had a strong 2023-24 regular season as well, finishing with a 57-25 record to be the second seed in the Western Conference. After dispatching the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the first round of the playoffs, though, they were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in seven games in the Conference Semifinals.
That was a shocker and things only got worse for the Nuggets in the offseason. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a key piece in that 2023 title-winning team, left in free agency and they haven’t managed to bring in a solid replacement for him either.
Someone they have brought in is Russell Westbrook and while he will give that bench unit a much-needed spark, I don’t see him being a game-changer. So, the Nuggets are certainly worse now than they were last season, but can they still go all the way? I think they could, but it all depends on Jamal Murray.
We know Jokic is going to be great once again, but the question is how well is Murray going to play. He hit two game-winners against the Lakers in the playoffs but struggled massively otherwise. If he gets back to playing as well as he did in the 2023 postseason, I think this team can still win it all in 2025.
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