Denver's team leader, Michael Malone, underscores his unwillingness to underestimate Nikola Jokic's exceptional abilities as the new season approaches.
It can take a long time, sometimes even several decades, for a sports team to gather the right players and build a championship-contending roster. Even when they do, luck and misfortune can suddenly derail a team's title ambitions.
For the Denver Nuggets, selecting an relatively unknown Serbian named Nikola Jokić with the 41st pick of the 2014 NBA Draft – notably during a commercial break for fast food – transformed their franchise into title contenders.
Approaching ten years later, Jokić has become one of the best players in the world and is undeniably destined to be considered an NBA all-time great when he hangs up his jersey.
Jokić, a three-time MVP, led the Nuggets to their first title in franchise history in 2023, but the reigning champions were eliminated in the semi-finals by the rapidly rising Minnesota Timberwolves the following season.
"The Joker" celebrates his 30th birthday in February, and with each passing year, the opportunity to add more NBA titles to his resume becomes increasingly scarce. That's why Nuggets head coach Michael Malone expressed that he "never" takes Jokić's "greatness" for granted as they strive to retake their NBA throne.
"I grew up in this business," Malone shared with CNN's Bijan Hosseini in Abu Dhabi before the Nuggets' preseason opener loss to the Boston Celtics, the reigning NBA champions. "My father was a coach, and when you're around greatness like that, they don't come around very often.
"I've been fortunate in my NBA career to be around great players like Nikola, Steph Curry, LeBron James. Now a player like (new signing) Russell Westbrook, a future Hall of Famer, and you appreciate their greatness, their consistency.
"But the one thing I'd say for everyone with Nikola: he's even better as a person. He's never changed. The MVPs, the championship – he's still the same guy. I admire his humility, and I admire how he comes to work every single day to try to get better."
They will have to substantially improve, too.
The Boston Celtics were undeniably the best team in the regular season last time out, before going on a dominant run in the playoffs to secure their first title since 2008.
In an effort to revamp their roster, the Nuggets have signed veterans Westbrook and Dario Šarić. Malone considers the energy from his players during training and preseason to be "outstanding," adding, "That's what we talked about – don't take this window for granted, attack it, and let's see what happens."
However, there's also the minor issue of navigating the notoriously challenging Western Conference, which appears exceptionally stacked with talent this season. Malone believes it's the toughest he's ever seen.
"Obviously, every year is a fresh journey, a new chance," he said. "You have the most victories, first franchise championship in 47 years. Disappointing loss last year. So now, that motivates you to come back even stronger.
"The parity and the depth in the Western Conference ... you could make a case that six teams in the West could win the championship, and you wouldn't be surprised. It's packed. Each team has two, three truly talented players.
"The coaches all do a great job, so everyone thinks it's going to be easy to just get back to the championship – you have to put yourself in a position by fighting through an 82-game, grueling season – and the West is packed."
The NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, expressed that this season should offer "incredible competition."
Silver told CNN, "We've had six different champions over the past six years. My colleague Joe Dumars – who was a champion as a player, champion as a general manager in this league, and has a long-time horizon in the league – said he doesn't remember a time when so many teams felt they had a shot at being the champion."
The Celtics have made significant financial commitments this year, offering contract extensions to their key players in their bid to extend their title window.
Among them is Jrue Holiday, whose masterful defensive skills guided the Celtics to the title in his first season with the club.
However, Holiday and the team are far from satisfied with last season's victory.
"I think that's always the goal," Holiday shared with CNN in Abu Dhabi. "We did a pretty good job last year, have somewhat of the same team, but I think to be able to lock in and do it again is the goal. I think winning is always the goal, always the option every year that I will play."
The Nuggets' acquisition of Nikola Jokić has transformed their sporting fortunes, turning them into title contenders in the NBA. Despite Jokić's multiple MVP awards and leading the team to their first title, they were eventually eliminated in the semi-finals, highlighting the unpredictable nature of sport.
