Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic continues to deal with a nagging knee injury that has received a disappointing update before the team’s match against the Pistons on Tuesday, January 27. In late December, the 30-year-old suffered a hyperextended left knee injury that has already taken him out of 14 games (not including the Pistons game). The initial prognosis said that Jokic would be able to return to the court in four weeks, but the latest injury report reveals that his recovery timeline is longer than expected.
Denver Nuggets injury report rules out Jokic again
Jokic will still be out with a left knee bone bruise, according to the injury report from the Denver Nuggets on Monday, January 26 on X (formerly Twitter).
In mid-January, ESPN’s Shams Charania shared good news that Jokic has resumed on-court workouts and that he was “right on schedule, if not a little ahead of schedule” in getting back to lineup. However, Nuggets head coach David Adelman said the following week that his recovery was “up and down,” per DNVR Sports. With the newest injury report, the coach’s sobering assessment of Jokic’s injury is closer to the truth.
That said, the 30-year-old star player looks to be doing well in practice. A short video posted on social media by reporter Katy Winge on January 22 shows Jokic making three shots near the free-throw line with his left knee still wrapped. “He’s still out with the knee injury,” she wrote, “but is moving well here.”
In addition to Jokic, the Denver Nuggets injury report lists six more players. Also ruled out are Christian Bruan with a left ankle sprain, Aaron Gordon with a right hamstring strain, and Cameron Johnson with a right knee bone bruise. Meanwhile, three other players ruled as probable include Jonas Valanciunas with a right calf strain, Peyton Watson with a right ankle strain and left ankle sprain, and Jamal Murray with left hip inflammation and right hamstring inflammation.
