Days After Tim Duncan’s Epic Shutdown, Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets Draw Comparisons to Spurs’ Dynasty

A couple of days ago, the Denver Nuggets completely dismantled a resurgent Golden State Warriors’ side, winning by a scoreline of 103-119. Despite impressive performances by Jamal Murray (27 points) and Aaron Gordon (17 points), it was 2x NBA MVP Nikola Jokić who stole the spotlight. The Serbian big man recorded his 18th triple-double of the season, recording 32 points, 16 rebounds, and 16 assists in the game.

NBA analyst Colin Cowherd can’t seem more impressed. As per him, the team is now getting direct comparison to be Spurs with Tim Duncan.

Nikola Jokić and Denver – A dynasty in making?

During the latest episode of the Herd, Colin Cowherd warned teams in the NBA to “get ready for a dynasty,” following Denver’s impressive win over the Warriors. He said, “This Denver team, they’re the Spurs team with Tim Duncan. Perfectly built roster. Get ready for a dynasty … They have the best starting five, plus-minus, only Boston is close. They are winning the title. Barring an injury, Celtics are the only starting five that’s even close.”

Comparisons with Tim Duncan and the Spurs aren’t anything new for the Nuggets. Just days before Colin Cowherd’s prediction, former NBA player Richard Jefferson recalled a light-hearted interaction he had with his former teammate Tim Duncan. In an episode of the Pat Bev Podcast, Jefferson revealed a private conversation he had with Duncan. He said, “I was talking sh*t to Tim recently. I was like Jokic would have whooped your a*s”. However, Tim Duncan seemed unfazed by Jefferson’s claims, as he calmly responded by saying, “I played him after I was me and before he was him and I did okay.” Coming from Duncan, it is an absolute compliment for the-then rookie in making!

In his prime, there weren’t many NBA stars who could have taken Tim Duncan down. Nuggets’ Jokic is considered lucky since he never had to face the wrathful peak of the veteran. There indeed was a brief window, however, when they both competed in the league.

Jokic and Duncan were playing for the opposite sides in a memorable 2016 clash that took place when Spurs came to Denver. It was Duncan’s second-last regular season game. While the Nuggets player was still searching for his dominant self in the league, Duncan stood on his last legs of his career. During that matchup, Duncan finished the game with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists. And as a rookie, Jokic’s performance was pretty impressive, with 8 points and 15 rebounds.

Seeing these stats, it is evident the dominance Duncan had in the league, despite nearing retirement. All of his 19 years on-court were spent with the Spurs, winniung 5 championships. Duncan was also a 2X MVP, and 3X Finals MVP. It was a different era, a rather dynasty that Duncan built with the Spurs. And it seems that Nikola is on the path to doing the same with the Nuggets. He has only just started with a championship under his belly last year. Jokic makes triple-doubles seem pretty easy, probably why he’s known to be one of the best players in the league, walking on the path to becoming the greatest, eventually. His legacy just got started, and has a long way to go!

So, with the same group of core players and Jokic still delivering MVP-caliber performances on a nightly basis, the Nuggets are poised for another assault on the coveted Larry O’Brien trophy. The Nuggets are currently on the verge of achieving dynasty status. However, winning the 2024 NBA title would all but guarantee them a place in NBA folklore.

Read More: “Gave Me Complete Hell”: Draymond Gets Brutally Honest About Nikola Jokic After Disheartening Warriors Loss

What are your thoughts? Can the Nuggets win the 2024 NBA title? Let us know in the comments below!