Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokić

Jokić with Mega in February 2014
No. 15 – Denver Nuggets
Position Center / Power forward
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1995-02-19) February 19, 1995
Sombor, FR Yugoslavia
Nationality Serbian
Listed height 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight 250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
NBA draft 2014 / Round: 2 / Pick: 41st overall
Selected by the Denver Nuggets
Playing career 2012–present
Career history
2012–2015 Mega Basket
2015–present Denver Nuggets
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Serbia
Summer Olympics
2016 Rio de Janeiro Team
U19 World Championship
2013 Czech Republic Team

Nikola Jokić (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Јокић; born 19 February 1995) is a Serbian professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the Serbian national basketball team internationally. Standing at 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), he plays at the center position. He was selected with the 41st overall pick by the Denver Nuggets in the 2014 NBA draft.

Professional career

Mega Basket (2012–2015)

In the summer of 2012, Jokić signed a contract with Mega Vizura, although in the first season with the team he played mostly for their junior team in 2012–13. In the 2013–14 season, he saw many more minutes on the court for the senior team. Over 25 Adriatic League games, he averaged 11.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He also played 13 games with the team in the Serbian League.

Following the selection in the 2014 NBA draft and the departure of Ratko Varda, he became one of the team leaders in the 2014–15 season. In the first game of the Adriatic League, he led his team to a 103–98 win over MZT Skopje, by scoring 27 points and grabbing 15 rebounds for a total index rating of 44.[1][2] He was named the MVP of the Round 1.[3] On November 3, he recorded 17 points, 12 rebounds and season-high 8 assists for a total index rating of 40, in a 90–84 victory over Zadar.[4] For such performance, he was named the MVP of the Round 6.[5] On February 7, he scored 27 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a 77–88 loss to Szolnoki Olaj.[6] He was named the MVP of the Round for the third time in a season.[7] For his performances over the month, he was named the MVP for February, having averaged 21.7 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.[8] On March 21, he scored season-high 28 points and added 15 rebounds to help his team win with 100–96 over Igokea.[9] He was named the MVP of the Round 26, his fourth Round MVP award over the season.[10] Even though Mega Leks finished in 10th place in the Adriatic League, Jokić became one the league's most valuable players. Over 24 games played, he averaged 15.4 points, league-leading 9.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, while leading the league with the index rating of 22.[11] On March 26, he was officially named the Adriatic League regular season MVP.[12] He was also named the ABA League Top Prospect for the 2014–15 season.[13]

After the elimination by Partizan Belgrade in the semifinals of the Serbian League, Jokić parted ways with the team.[14]

Denver Nuggets (2015–present)

On June 26, 2014, Jokić was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 41st overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft.[15]

2015–16 season: Rookie year

On July 28, 2015, Jokić signed with the Denver Nuggets after averaging 8.0 points and 6.2 rebounds in five summer league games for the team.[16] On November 18, 2015, he had a then season-best game with 23 points and 12 rebounds in a 109–98 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.[17] On January 10, 2016, he recorded a career-high nine assists in a 95–92 win over the Charlotte Hornets.[18] On February 1, he recorded career highs of 27 points and 14 rebounds in a 112–93 win over the Toronto Raptors.[19] On April 8, he set a new career high with 15 rebounds in a 102–98 win over the San Antonio Spurs.[20] At the season's end, he finished third in the 2016 NBA Rookie of the Year Award voting[21] and earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors.[22]

2016–17 season

On October 29, 2016, Jokić recorded 23 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in a 115–113 overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.[23]

Serbian national team

Jokić has been a member of the Serbian U-19 national basketball team that won the silver medal at the 2013 World Championships in Czech Republic. Over 8 tournament games, he averaged 7.1 points, 5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.[24] He represented Serbia on FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2016 at Belgrade where he averaged 17.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game[25] leading Serbian national basketball team to Olympic Games after 12 years, he was also named as the MVP of the tournament.

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Denver 80 55 21.7 .512 .333 .811 7.0 2.4 1.0 .6 10.0
Career 80 55 21.7 .512 .333 .811 7.0 2.4 1.0 .6 10.0

Other leagues

Season Team League GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2012–13 Mega Basket Serbian League 5 10.2 .375 .500 .667 2.0 .8 .2 .0 1.8
2013–14 13 24.2 .560 .465 .625 6.0 3.3 1.0 .5 10.9
Adriatic League 26 25.0 .519 .221 .667 6.4 2.0 .8 1.0 11.5
2014–15 Serbian League 14 27.8 .566 .275 .708 10.4 2.7 1.1 1.1 18.4
Adriatic League 24 30.5 .503 .346 .667 9.3 3.5 1.5 .9 15.4

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Jokić, Miljenović nadjačali MZT". b92.net (in Serbian). Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  2. ↑ "Overtime win for Mega, Jokić with index 44!". abaliga.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  3. ↑ "Round 1 MVP – Nikola Jokić (Mega Vizura)". abaliga.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "Mega Vizura won, Jokić dominated". abaliga.com. 3 November 2014. Archived from the original on November 4, 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  5. ↑ "MVP: Nikola Jokić (Mega Vizura – val. 40)". abaliga.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  6. ↑ "Mega Leks at Szolnoki Olaj Full Statistics". abaliga.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  7. ↑ "ABA: Jokić po treći put MVP". b92.net (in Serbian). Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "ABA: Jokić MVP februara". b92.net (in Serbian). BETA. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "Mega Leks at Igokea Full Statistics". abaliga.com (in Serbian). Archived from the original on March 24, 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  10. ↑ "MVP: Nikola Jokić (Mega Leks – val. 39)". abaliga.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  11. ↑ "Individual Statistics - Season 2014/15". abaliga.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  12. ↑ "Regular season MVP – Nikola Jokić (Mega Leks)". abaliga.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  13. ↑ "Žižić najveća nada" (in Croatian). sportske.jutarnji.hr. 9 March 2016.
  14. ↑ P., V. (9 June 2015). "Jokić ide u Denver". novosti.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  15. ↑ Carbaugh, Dane (June 26, 2014). "Denver takes Nikola Jokic with the No. 41 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft". SBNation.com. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Nuggets Sign Nikola Jokić". NBA.com. July 28, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Parker scores 25, Spurs beat Nuggets for 6th straight". NBA.com. November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Mudiay, Gallinari help Nuggets beat Hornets 95-92". NBA.com. January 10, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Nuggets end Raptors' 11-game winning streak, 112-93". NBA.com. February 1, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Tim Duncan, depleted Spurs fall to Nuggets 102-98". NBA.com. April 8, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Timberwolves' Towns is unanimous Kia Rookie of the Year pick". NBA.com. May 16, 2016. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Wolves' Towns, Knicks' Porzingis lead 2015-16 NBA All-Rookie teams". NBA.com. May 19, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Lillard hits floater, Blazers beat Nuggets 115-113 in OT". ESPN.com. October 29, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Nikola JOKIC Player Profile". FIBA.com. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  25. ↑ "Nikola JOKIC Player Profile". FIBA.com. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
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