The more the merrier! But not for Nikola Jokic who had his heart crushed not once but twice this year. Despite putting in all the effort, the MVP couldn’t defend the championship title for the Denver Nuggets. He helplessly watched as the Timberwolves took the deciding game of the Western Conference semifinal series. Nevertheless, the Serbian had the scope to redeem himself on the Olympic platform representing his country. But in comes the second low blow!

Now, the attention is back on the NBA with the preseason in full swing. To cope with the failures of this year, Jokic turned to his HC, Michael Malone’s philosophy.

While many find motivation to avenge a major loss, Nikola Jokic is not one of them. “My last, it doesn’t motivate me,” the big man firmly stated in the interview session in Abu Dhabi. When a reporter asked the follow-up question about the center’s biggest takeaways from the previous season, Jokic responded, “They always say it’s really tough to win a championship again. I think it’s really tough to win a championship anyhow.”

The All-Star center continued, “Especially after going through so much emotions, after winning the championship, season seemed like we didn’t have a break, but it just feel a little longer and maybe we were tired, maybe we were not. So I think that just, you should enjoy more than winning the championship because most really good teams have never won a championship.”

Even when Malone was asked about their unsuccessful season, the HC highlighted what a tall task it was. He added, “The biggest thing I learnt is that the physical, emotional, spiritual toll it takes on you when you win a championship and having to regroup and do that again can be exhausting.”

Jokic and the Nuggets did chase the title last season after winning it in 2023, but the Timberwolves shattered their dreams. He undoubtedly had a great individual season, which earned him the third MVP, but most of the team’s pressure lay on his shoulders. This became one reason for the franchise’s collapse. The 29-year-old doesn’t want the same thing to be replicated in the new season following the back-to-back trouble he faced with his teams.

After qualifying in the quarterfinals in Paris, Jokic and Co. came face-to-face with the star-studded USA Team. When the Serbian team believed they had almost done the demanding job of eliminating their fierce rivals, disaster struck. The outcome badly scarred Joker, something hard for him to erase from his memory.

Nikola Jokic opens up about Serbia’s 2024 Olympic loss

The Nuggets and Celtics concluded their annual media day early to fly off to Abu Dhabi for their training camp. But the terrifying question about his summer experience followed Jokic even there. “It was a good match. Probably the biggest defeat of my career,” he told the media.

Jokic further added, ” [We had a] big chance. In the end, they beat us. People from the stands will probably see it as a normal defeat, but for those who played, it was certainly one of the toughest defeats in our careers.”

The Serbian team had established dominance from the opening quarter and maintained it for the first three quarters, after which the tides turned. Stephen Curry, who had a hard time in the previous games, decided to show up with his 36-point contribution, leaving the audience in disbelief. The combined efforts of teammate LeBron James and Joel Embiid also came in handy. Jokic, who was comfortable with his 17-5-11 stat line, was taken aback.

By scoring more than double what Serbia had scored in the final quarter, Team USA clinched a spot in the Finals and Jokic and Co. received the bronze medal.

All that is in the past now. Joker is right now warming up to begin his ninth season with the Nuggets and has found a positive way to start his upcoming journey. Firstly, they will face the 2024 NBA champions twice in the preseason, the action-packed battles the fans eagerly await.