Nuggets injury Updates: Nikola Jokic is ‘up and down,’ with Jonas Valanciunas expected to return first

Nuggets injury Updates: Nikola Jokic is ‘up and down,’ with Jonas Valanciunas expected to return first

The Nuggets centers are three weeks into their separate injury recoveries.

Jonas Valanciunas, the Nuggets‘ backup big man, is expected to return to the lineup before Nikola Jokic, coach David Adelman said Tuesday night.

Adelman described Jokic’s return from a knee injury as “kind of up and down” before Denver visited the Lakers. It was the team’s 12th game without him and the 11th without either center.

Valanciunas has been sidelined with a right calf strain. Jokic hyperextended his left knee, causing a bone bruise.

“Jonas has looked fine, but there is a schedule for the injury.” He could easily redo that,” Adelman explained. “So he feels great right now, but we need to put him through these tests and play some 3-on-3, 4-on-4, and 5-on-5 before we feel comfortable with him (playing).

There is always a chance of his coming out there, but it should be minimal. I can’t just get Jonas back and then run him down.

So we need to establish a baseline for what is appropriate for him when he returns. Because he will most likely start at center right away.”

The Nuggets stated on Jan. 1 that Valanciunas would be reevaluated in four weeks, two days after Jokic had an MRI and was given the same schedule.

Both centers remained with the club for the rest of its seven-game Eastern Conference road trip but did not go to New Orleans or Dallas last week.

Adelman stressed that, while Valanciunas appears to be making more progress than Jokic at this point in his recovery, “tomorrow might be different.

You may also have a setback during the stress test. You just want to make sure we’re doing everything right.”

Jokic and Valanciunas average 25.4 rebounds per 36 minutes, with Jokic leading the league in rebounds per game with 12.2.

During their first ten games sans the two bigs, the Nuggets had the lowest rebounding rate in the NBA (45.4%).

Throughout January, Adelman has been forced to use smaller lineups, with DaRon Holmes II or Aaron Gordon starting at center.

Despite being severely undersized, Denver was 7-4 since Jokic’s injury heading into the late-night game against Los Angeles.

“I really mean this: Us winning some games has nothing to do with us holding them out,” Adelman told reporters. “This has just been the way it is. The process has been as it is.

These folks will be taken care of, and they will return. My main concern is the guys I’m currently playing with. And I’m giving Jamal (Murray) a lot of minutes. I’m giving Tim Hardaway Jr. too many minutes.

I challenged Aaron on what we thought would be our limit to winning a game. That’s the concern.”

Starting small forward Cam Johnson will reach the four-week mark in his comeback from a bone injury this week.

The Nuggets declared a four- to six-week timeline for him on Christmas, but he has yet to participate in any contact portions of practice, Adelman said Tuesday.

“He’s gone through some pace and some burst stuff,” Adelman told me, “which is good to see.”