{"id":176063,"date":"2025-07-17T03:58:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T03:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/176063\/"},"modified":"2025-07-17T03:58:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T03:58:13","slug":"nuggets-hopeful-to-reduce-nikola-jokics-minutes-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/176063\/","title":{"rendered":"Nuggets Hopeful to Reduce Nikola Joki\u0107\u2019s Minutes Next\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

It is no secret that Nikola Joki\u0107 is widely considered the best basketball player on the planet. It is also no secret that the Denver Nuggets relied on their superstar center to a fault last season. The three-time league MVP ranked fourth in minutes played per game (36.7). A workload that reflects both his importance and Denver\u2019s lack of frontcourt depth. Without a reliable backup center capable of handling extended stretches, the Nuggets leaned heavily on Joki\u0107 throughout the season.<\/p>\n

Last year, their best option behind him was an aging DeAndre Jordan. At nearly 37 years old, he could only contribute to short spurts. His limitations also made him a frequent target in opposing teams\u2019 game plans. Recognizing the need to bolster their bench, Denver made a significant move this offseason by acquiring Jonas Valan\u010di\u016bnas via trade. The team is hopeful that the veteran center <\/a>will honor his contract rather than accept reported offers to play in Greece. If he does stay, Valan\u010di\u016bnas would immediately become the most capable backup Joki\u0107 has had since DeMarcus Cousins\u2019 brief stint in Denver.<\/p>\n

Denver Hoping to Ease up on Nikola Joki\u0107\u2019s Minutes\u00a0
\nIs Jonas Valan\u010di\u016bnas the Answer for the Denver Nuggets?\u00a0<\/p>\n

In addition to shoring up the frontcourt, the Nuggets added key depth pieces. Pieces such as Bruce Brown<\/a> (returning after one year away) and Tim Hardaway Jr., another key veteran.\u00a0 These reinforcements are intended not only to improve bench production but also to reduce Nikola Joki\u0107\u2019s regular-season workload. This will preserve his energy for another deep playoff run.<\/p>\n

Head coach, David Adelman, has been vocal about the importance of managing Joki\u0107\u2019s minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that one of the most important things we have to do next season is take care of him and make sure that he is the best version of himself if we\u2019re lucky enough to get to that playoff spot,\u201d Adelman said. \u201cSo yeah, it\u2019s a concern. But it needs to be talked about. It needs to be done the right way. That\u2019s what we\u2019re gonna do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adelman also plans to make Valan\u010di\u016bnas an integral part of the offense during the non-Joki\u0107 minutes.\u00a0 He plans to use him as a secondary offensive hub.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a bona fide, big-time center over the last decade who you can put in a bunch of different spots all over the floor,\u201d Adelman explained. \u201cAnd when I say, \u2018point center,\u2019 I mean someone you can play through in the half-court. I don\u2019t envision him getting a rebound and pushing the ball up, but I do think some of the things we already do will work with him\u2014playing five-out with back-side dribble handoffs, playing off the elbows, posting him up against smaller lineups, his ability to make others better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not the assist numbers that matter to me. It\u2019s his ability to start ball movement through the impact of who he is. So, he\u2019s an enormous get. I\u2019m super excited about getting him here, getting him acclimated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adelman clearly sees Valan\u010di\u016bnas as a versatile and valuable piece who can help stabilize the second unit. With a proven track record of scoring, rebounding, and sometimes facilitating from the post, Valan\u010di\u016bnas brings a skill set that complements Denver\u2019s system and allows for continuity even when Joki\u0107 is off the floor.<\/p>\n

If everything goes according to plan, the Nuggets may finally have a reliable solution to one of their few remaining weaknesses. With Valan\u010di\u016bnas anchoring the bench and added depth across the roster, Denver is poised to better manage Nikola Joki\u0107\u2019s minutes, keeping their superstar fresh and their title hopes alive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It is no secret that Nikola Joki\u0107 is widely considered the best basketball player on the planet. It…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":176064,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3781],"tags":[7,4500,6807,301,187,3943,6811,6805,6,67,6808,6806,6809,302,6810,447],"class_list":{"0":"post-176063","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-denver-nuggets","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-breaking-news","10":"tag-daily-news","11":"tag-denver","12":"tag-denver-nuggets","13":"tag-denvernuggets","14":"tag-global-news","15":"tag-inkl","16":"tag-nba","17":"tag-news","18":"tag-news-app","19":"tag-news-headlines","20":"tag-news-today","21":"tag-nuggets","22":"tag-today-news","23":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/114866573170989552","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176063\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}