By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Nikola Jokic is eager to follow an adjusted approach by the coaching staff, heading to the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season. Meanwhile, he addressed referees Marc Davis, Jacyn Goble, and J.T. Orr to cover all bases.
The Denver Nuggets brought in those three refs to officiate a scrimmage at the end of team practice on Thursday.
Afterward, the 30-year-old Serbian forward/center talked with Davis, Goble, and Orr for at least ten minutes, per Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. The topics of discussion are unclear, but apparently connected to the overall approach and referee decisions in games of the nearing Regular Season.
Following three days in San Diego for training camp with his sixth NBA side, Jonas Valanciunas has yet to connect with his new teammate, Jokic. “We’re both jetlagged, so we don’t talk too much,” the 33-year-old Lithuanian center humorously explained, referring to both himself and the Joker recently arrived from Europe.
The Preseason 2025 schedule opens against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Pechanga Arena on Saturday. The team coached by David Adelman will continue with exhibition games opposite the Toronto Raptors in Vancouver, the Los Angeles Clippers in Inglewood, the Chicago Bulls in Denver, and the Oklahoma City Thunder in Oklahoma City, before the first fixture of the 2025-26 Regular Season and a clash with the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco’s Chase Center on October 23.
Jokic is set for his 11th journey with the Nuggets. From being selected with the 41st overall pick of the 2014 draft to spending the next season with Mega Leks and being named Most Valuable Player of the ABA League, he went on to establish himself as a household name in the league based in North America en route to winning an NBA championship as the Most Valuable Player of the Finals in 2023. He was the season MVP in 2021, 2022, and 2024.
During the offseason, the native of Sombor represented Serbia in EuroBasket 2025, putting up 22.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks per contest over six games. His side settled in tenth place in the final standings.