Nikola Jokic set to return Friday, MVP back on?

He’s back?!?

The Denver Nuggets are hinting at Nikola Jokic’s return to play on Friday, and ESPN is reporting that it will happen after sharing the exact opposite on Tuesday.

Jokic’s plan to return comes Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers at Ball Arena after being sidelined since Dec. 29 with a bone bruise in his hyperextended left knee. The three-time MVP is also set to play in Sunday’s showdown against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Denver’s first matchup against the reigning champions, who bounced them from the playoffs last spring.

Charania reported Jokic would need another week of evaluation on Tuesday, which completely changes the story. But after 16 games, a full month, and a whole lot of uncertainty, the Joker is apparently ready to lace up his signature 361s.

The Nuggets went 10-6 in that stretch, weathering an absurd run of injuries that would have sunk most teams. They’re coming off a win against Brooklyn on Thursday, splitting the homestand without their best player, all while Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun and Cameron Johnson remained sidelined.

Nikola Jokic’s MVP eligibility preserved

Here’s the kicker: With the story now being changed, Jokic is now positioned to remain eligible for season awards such as MVP and All-NBA.

He’s appeared in 32 games this season, and with 34 games remaining, he’ll have exactly one absence to spare to meet the league’s 65-game threshold.

Before the injury, Jokic was putting up some of the best numbers of his insane career — 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and a career-high 11 assists per game while shooting 60.5% from the field and a career-high 43.5% from deep. Those are historically dominant numbers, and he was the favorite for a fourth MVP trophy.

It’ll be an uphill battle to capture his fourth such award, and it would require tremendous health and playing in all sorts of back-to-backs, but for now, Jokic will be postseason awards eligible. MVP may be far-fetched after missing a month, but Jokic’s five-year run finishing first or second in MVP voting and seven-year streak as an All-NBA player can be kept alive.

Books currently have Jokic with the second-best odds at MVP at +550. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the frontrunner at -340.

The injury situation remains dire for the Nuggets, but there’s light

While Jokic’s return provides a massive boost, the Nuggets aren’t out of the woods. The team announced Thursday that Aaron Gordon will be sidelined for at least another month after re-injuring his right hamstring, the same one he strained in November. He’ll be evaluated in four to six weeks, potentially setting up an early March return.

The Nuggets currently have Jokic listed as questionable due to the bone bruise, while Gordon, Braun and Johnson are all sidelined for Friday’s game. David Adleman shared on Thursday that he expects everyone but Gordon to return to action before the All-Star break.

The Nuggets welcome the red-hot Clippers to town on Friday and then the NBA’s best team on Sunday.

Big Honey is back. And after what the zombie Nuggets proved over the last month, adding Joker back onto that team should have other teams shaking.

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