Nikola Jokic Injury Update: When Will Denver Superstar Be Back and Return to Nuggets?

One of the biggest names in the NBA went down to injury Monday night, as Nuggets star Nikola Jokic left Denver’s game against the Miami Heat just prior to halftime. Jokic suffered a knee injury. Below, we will deliver a Jokic injury update and look at when he will likely return.

⏳ When will Nikola Jokic return and be back with Nuggets?

Update: Jokic suffered a left knee hyperextension. It was initially feared that he may have suffered an ACL tear, which would have ended his season.

Nuggets head coach David Adelman was highly concerned about Jokic’s injury when speaking with reporters last night.

“All I know is that Jokic has a left knee injury, and that he needs to go through the process of what it is,” Adelman said. “Immediately, he knew something was wrong.

“This is part of the NBA. Anyone who gets hurt, it’s gut-wrenching. Especially somebody as special as he is.

“We’ll find out more [Tuesday] and move on as a team. I’m more concerned about him as a person and the disappointment of going through something like that. It’s unfortunate, and we’re hoping for the best. We have to stay with it to best support our teammates who are out and honor them when they play. It sucks, but hoping for the best."

🏥 How long will Nikola Jokic be out for?

Recovery time for a hyperextended knee varies. Jokic is expected to be out for at least four weeks.

Here is a look at the different grades of hyperextended knees and their typical recovery time.

• Mild hyperextended knee: 2-4 weeks
• Moderate hyperextended knee: 1-2 months
• Severe hyperextended knee: 3-12 months

It is believed that Jokic suffered somewhere in between and mild and moderate hyperextended knee.

🏀 Jokic NBA MVP odds

Jokic has been one of the favorites to take home the NBA MVP award pretty much every year since 2020. He has collected three MVP trophies thus far, having won in 2021, 2022 and 2024.

The Joker owned +400 NBA MVP odds on Monday, just prior to his injury. That was second on the board at the best NBA betting sites, behind only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (-220). Jokic is now off the board for MVP due to the uncertainty surrounding his injury.