Troy Renck: Nuggets' Nikola Jokic is growing up. His team is aging out. Can his leadership will Nuggets to another title?

Troy Renck, The Denver Post on Oct 4, 2026

Published in Basketball

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DENVER — Nikola Jokic is growing up as the Nuggets’ roster is aging out.

Media days rarely offer insight, instead providing a stream of clichés ready-made for Nickelback’s next album.

Then came Monday.

The answers created pause, raised eyebrows, jolted observers with the recognition that this Nuggets’ team is actually different. That the players might get it.

That was the impression that Jokic gave off.

Perhaps because of his summer work as captain of the Serbian national team — “I had more pressure and responsibility” — Jokic has never seemed more comfortable with the media. His press conferences normally feature the impatience of a man double-parked outside.

Monday, he answered questions for roughly 15 minutes. He did not bring a llama. There was no need. There was no drama. Jokic made clear that his decision not to sign an extension over the summer was “just business.”

He can make roughly $81 million by waiting. That figure matters to him. And why he made it clear, even if the team goes on a losing streak or underperforms, he is not leaving.

“I am going to sign next year,” Jokic said, “if they want me.”

So much of the Nuggets’ hopes hinge on Aaron Gordon’s health and Jamal Murray’s mindset. Gordon seems to be in a better place mentally and is committed to doing the extra work physically to avoid the soft-tissue injuries that spoiled the past two seasons.

Murray spent a lot of time this offseason hooping in Denver, bent on showing last season’s first All-Star berth wasn’t a fluke. His body suggests he is ready.

Often these conversations leave out Jokic. He is the given.

But could this be the season that he snares one last MVP? Odds are against it.

However, it has been forever since we have seen Jokic like this.

He is hungry and motivated in ways that are visible. When the Timberwolves put the Nuggets over their knee and spanked them, there were so many to blame — Gordon’s aching body, Peyton Watson balking at playing, Murray’s shooting, Christian Braun’s timidity — that Jokic was almost spared.

Understand, he has never been more embarrassed by his performance. He shot 44.6% from the field and 19.8% from behind the arc.

Maybe he would have shown up fired up anyway, but the Timberwolves series prevented him from taking anything for granted. He wants to win. And he wants it to be with this team.

He looks amazing. Not like a guy who dropped weight and created a toned mirage, but in a way that showed he was playing and lifting in a spirited fashion while starring for Serbia. No using the first month to get in shape.

Nobody is going to tell Jokic what to do at this point. But he is more likely to tell his teammates. And he clearly took feedback from the Timberwolves’ exit and refined his approach.

The Nuggets suffered through a disappointing offseason, moving on from Watson, failing to tempt LeBron James and coming close to acquiring Jaylen Brown. The near-seismic roster shakeup has left Braun and Gordon determined to remind folks of their worth.

But the biggest takeaway from Monday was that Jokic wants to be a leader and the top player. Front-facing.

The Nuggets’ last playoff exit drew disgust. But Jokic — from his body, mind and future contract — provides reason to dream. Where he once was irritated with Monday’s media carwash, he is now restless to grow into a final iteration that could lead to another championship.

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