"Silent Horse? Dark Horse": Nikola Jokic Embraces His Team's Status As Potential Wild Card This Season

By now, every NBA fan knows that Nikola Jokić has a passion for horses. Given this particular love of the three-time MVP, it should come as no surprise that Jokić used a horse analogy to describe his NBA team’s potential this season.

According to Denver Nuggets beat writer Bennett Durando, Jokić was asked by reporters last week to comment on the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are heavily favored to repeat as NBA champions in 2025–26. This question prompted Jokić to conjure a popular saying that was apparently on the tip of his tongue.

“Hopefully, we can be the silent…how do you say it? The silent knight. Silent horse,” Jokić said as he gathered his thoughts.

Finally, it hit him. “Dark horse,” he confirmed.

It’s been quite a while since Jokić's Nuggets have been considered a wild card in the Western Conference playoffs. Thanks in large part to the Serbian center’s stellar play, Denver has been deemed a heavy hitter in an incredibly competitive conference over the past few years. 

This label is not without basis, as the Nuggets have reached at least the second round of the playoffs in six of the last seven seasons. Denver competed in the Western Conference Finals twice in this span and went on to win the NBA championship in 2023.

Jokić was crowned Finals MVP that year, and while his statistical brilliance has been a constant in this decade, the Nuggets have undergone a number of key changes over the past year. Michael Malone, the head coach who orchestrated the 2023 title campaign, has been replaced by his assistant, David Adelman. Gone are players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Michael Porter Jr., while the roster has been beefed up by Cameron Johnson and the returning Bruce Brown.

Will the Nuggets once again go on an extended run in the postseason? To Jokić's credit, he acknowledges that this is not a certainty at this point, given the semi-makeover that the team has undergone. Still, Jokić's use of the “dark horse” term can be seen as a subtle warning to the rest of the league.

That warning is this: The Nuggets might not put up staggering defensive stats like the Thunder or boast massively stacked rosters like other NBA teams, but they are a squad that is capable of getting the job done when it matters most.