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Nikola Jokic wasn't projected to be the player he is today when he entered the NBA. The Denver Nuggets struck gold when they picked Jokic with their 41st pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Interestingly, the broadcasters, ESPN, were running a "Taco Bell" commercial when Jokic's name was on the board.
Jokic took the same route as most foreign players, spending the early years of his career in a European league. Jokic played in Serbia, his home country, for the first three years after turning pro. He got crowned as the Adriatic League MVP in 2015.
Jokic didn't play in the NBA the year he got drafted. He was supposed to spend one more year overseas in Spain with Barcelona. However, the club backed out, and Jokic continued his time in the ABA. He made his NBA debut in 2015, and the rest was history.
Nikola Jokic created history as a late second-round pick
Nikola Jokic made his mark in the NBA in his rookie year. He proved to the teams that didn't pick him earlier that he was the real deal down the line. Jokic was made the All-NBA Rookie First Team, averaging 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, making 55 starts in 80 games for the Denver Nuggets.
Jokic made a significant leap in his second year, tallying 16.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. He led the Nuggets to the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in 2019, their first postseason appearance since 2013. The Nuggets made the conference semis that year.
Jokic led the team to the Conference Finals after leading them to the third seed in 2019-20. The Nuggets overcame a 3-1 deficit in back-to-back series against the Utah Jazz and LA Clippers respectively that postseason, before losing to the eventual champions, the LA Lakers, in five games.
Nikola Jokic created history in the 2020-21 NBA season by becoming the lowest draft pick to win the MVP award. He averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game to claim the honors, playing 100% of his team's games.
Jokic improved on those numbers to win his second consecutive MVP award in 2022, averaging 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists, playing 74 of his team's 82 games. He led the Nuggets to the playoffs once again, despite the team missing key players like Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.
Nikola Jokic is currently leading the Nuggets' charge in the playoffs against the Phoenix Suns, hoping to lead them to an elusive first championship win. The Nuggets are one win away from making a Western Conference Finals appearance and are favorites to win the West.
Guess the Lakers players!
