By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
As the Denver Nuggets navigate the final stretch of the 2025–26 NBA Regular Season, sitting fifth in a cutthroat Western Conference with a 43–28 record, their 31-year-old Serbian superstar is once again rewriting the record books. Nikola Jokic, the 2023 champion and three-time league MVP, is currently averaging a historic triple-double with 28.1 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 10.5 assists per game.
In a sit-down on the Nuggets’ YouTube channel, the Sombor native reflected on his decade-long journey in Denver, his evolving chemistry with Jamal Murray, and the Serbian origins of his legendary touch around the rim.
The Joker and Murray have spent ten seasons together, evolving from young prospects into championship-winning fathers. Jokic recalled their first meeting at the Nike Hoop Summit when Murray was just 17, noting that while the guard had a ‘stupid haircut’, his competitive fire was evident from day one.
“He wants to be the best,” Jokic said. “He has that drive in himself that he wants to win. He’s so competitive that he wants more. I think that competitive character is probably the biggest thing I feel when I see him.”
While their chemistry is now the gold standard of the league, Jokic admitted it wasn’t instant. He originally shared a stronger on-court bond with Gary Harris and Will Barton before the “Jokic-Murray” era truly took flight.
“It’s experience playing with each other, feeling each other on the court, trying different stuff, who gets going, understanding each other’s space. We still kind of make mistakes, but it’s still a process and still a learning,” he mentioned.
The Pogaca Secret
One of the most fascinating segments of the interview focused on Jokic’s soft touch and his signature floater. He revealed that in Serbia, these high-arc shots are referred to by a specific name, colloquially linked to cookies or soft pastries.
“When I was younger, I couldn’t really jump. I couldn’t really play above the rim, and I was always finding those mid-shots, floaters, push shots, whatever it is. In Serbia, we call it cookies,” explained Jokic. “That was the only way for me to score around the rim.”
“It’s basically like a pastry. I really don’t know why we call it like that,” he fell shy of properly interpreting the basketball meaning of the word ‘pogaca’.
Despite his natural talent, Jokic admitted he initially fought against the specialized training designed to master these shots by Nuggets’ development coach Ognjen Stojakovic.
“I was fighting him the first two years all the time, but I was young. I had something different in my head. I didn’t know what, but I think I was just against it,” he pointed out.
Leadership and the Bad Guy
As he enters the veteran stage of his career, Jokic is focusing on his mental approach. While he aims to stay available and avoid wasting energy on officials, he believes his next evolution involves becoming a more vocal, demanding leader.
“Sometimes you need to be a bad guy. I think that’s my next step,” he said. “Say the hard things, say the truth, maybe critics can motivate some players. Even to me, someone needs to criticize me, so maybe it’s going to motivate me.”
Ultimately, for a man with a trophy case overflowing with MVPs and a championship ring, Jokic’s definition of success remains refreshingly grounded. When asked how he hopes to be remembered when he finally hangs up his No. 15 jersey, his answer echoed the same humble sentiment he arrived with as a second-round pick in 2015.
“A good teammate, a good guy,” he mentioned. “Everybody wants to play with him. That’s what I wanted.”
With only 11 games left to improve their seeding, the Nuggets’ hopes rest on the shoulders of the Serbian superstar. If his current form, leading the league in both rebounds and assists. is any indicator, Jokic is ready to deliver another masterclass in the postseason.