Official Timeline Revealed On Nikola Jokic's Return From Injury

Late in December, Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic went down with an injury that had many fearing his 2025⁠–26 campaign could be over. Thankfully, the knee injury was confirmed as a minor one, with the team confirming that it would be less than six weeks until he returns.

Now, that timeline has been confirmed, with reports revealing that Jokic is expected to return to the Nuggets by the end of January.

This will still potentially rule Jokic out of MVP contention due to the league's 65-game minimum policy, but given how important he is to their pursuit of an NBA Championship, he and the team will be thrilled he's back regardless. Through his first 32 games of the season, Jokic has averaged a ridiculous 30 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists per game, and with a team record of 24⁠–12 through their first 36 games, he is crucial to their success.

Since Jokic went down, the team has also begun dealing with other injury issues, so the fact that Jokic will be healthy again by the end of the month is a major win as this team continues to build momentum as the season rolls along. Ultimately, Jokic is arguably in the midst of the greatest prime in NBA history, and while the Nuggets have been solid without him, once they get him back, this becomes a team that could once again reach the NBA Finals, even in the brutal Western Conference.