{"id":566869,"date":"2026-01-28T19:11:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T19:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/566869\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T19:11:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T19:11:11","slug":"nuggets-nikola-jokic-injury-update-from-shams-teases-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/566869\/","title":{"rendered":"Nuggets\u2019 Nikola Jokic injury update from Shams teases return"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nuggets\u2019 Nikola Jokic injury update from Shams teases return<\/a> appeared first on ClutchPoints<\/a>. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Denver Nuggets<\/a> are searching for stability in their frontcourt as they continue a demanding road trip without their franchise cornerstone. Ahead of their matchup against the Washington Wizards, the team received a potential boost with veteran center Jonas Valanciunas listed as questionable following a right calf strain<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Valanciunas has been a reliable interior presence this season, averaging 8.5 points and nearly five rebounds in limited minutes, and his return would provide much-needed reinforcement while Nikola Jokic<\/a> remains sidelined.<\/p>\n

Jokic has not suited up since late December after suffering a left knee bone bruise against the Miami Heat, leaving the Nuggets to navigate a condensed January schedule by relying heavily on their secondary rotations and the leadership of Jamal Murray.<\/p>\n

\u201cEarly February remains the soonest that the Nuggets can conceivably get Nikola Joki\u0107 back from the knee injury he sustained in Miami on Dec. 29. Denver has somehow managed to go 9-6 without Joki\u0107 and facing no shortage of additional injuries,\u201d Marc Stein reported on The Stein Line.<\/p>\n

This conservative timeline contrasts slightly with recent optimism<\/a> from Shams Charania on NBA Today, who noted that Jokic has resumed on-court workouts and appears to be making \u201crapid progress.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Charania suggested that a return by the end of January remains possible, which would be crucial for Jokic to remain eligible for postseason awards like the MVP under the league\u2019s 65-game requirement.<\/p>\n

Despite the absence of the three-time MVP, Denver has remained remarkably resilient, holding a 31-16 record and the third spot in the Western Conference. The \u201cno Joker\u201d run has seen young players like Peyton Watson emerge as legitimate scoring threats, with Watson averaging over 21 points throughout January.<\/p>\n

This survival has even prompted analysts like Bill Simmons to move Denver into the top tier of title favorites, noting the importance of the team\u2019s depth development during this stretch.<\/p>\n

As the Nuggets prepare for the upcoming All-Star break, the bond between Jokic and fellow superstar Luka Doncic<\/a> remains a highlight for fans. Doncic expressed excitement about teaming up with Jokic for Team World in the new All-Star format, though it remains uncertain if the Nuggets\u2019 star will be healthy enough to participate in the midseason spectacle.<\/p>\n

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Related: Nuggets\u2019 David Adelman urges violence to stop in Minneapolis: \u2018It\u2019s really hard to watch\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Related: Nuggets\u2019 Jamal Murray, Peyton Watson still on injury report vs. Pistons<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nuggets\u2019 Nikola Jokic injury update from Shams teases return appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":566870,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3781],"tags":[7,301,187,3943,762,6890,368,2546,189,6,253,302,1146,567,1415,468],"class_list":{"0":"post-566869","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-denver-nuggets","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-denver","10":"tag-denver-nuggets","11":"tag-denvernuggets","12":"tag-jamal-murray","13":"tag-jonas-valanciunas","14":"tag-luka-doncic","15":"tag-marc-stein","16":"tag-miami-heat","17":"tag-nba","18":"tag-nikola-jokic","19":"tag-nuggets","20":"tag-peyton-watson","21":"tag-shams-charania","22":"tag-the-nuggets","23":"tag-washington-wizards"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115974312822589751","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/566869","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=566869"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/566869\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/566870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=566869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=566869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=566869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}