In the summer of 2025, the Nuggets exchanged Porter Jr. for Kayo, then signed Bruce Brown, and then got Valanciunas - is the compensation given to Jokic after the operation in the summer of 2023 that caused Jokic to be terminated in the Western Conference semi-finals for two consecutive years?

Kayo did not have the "I want to be Durant"-style Jedi force, and the long-range shot and rotation of the basket may be a little short: after all, Porter Jr. is the center height.

But others such as passing, adaptation, defense replacement, rotation, positioning, and secondary ball holding, Kayo is better than Porter Jr.: especially in the half-time offense, he is much more panacea than Porter Jr., who is often out of place like a giraffe. In the game of the Nets last season, I often felt this way:

"Everyone is having fun... There is a child in the corner doing his homework in a noise? Who is he?"

Jokic should know how powerful Kayo is - in 2021, they have fought.

Kayo is here, and the most comfortable one is probably Gordon:

"I finally didn't just practice me! I don't want to rack my brain to shoot the ball every day, I also want to enjoy Jokic's pass!"

Potter's range is more suitable for shooting the pass from the big core with the ball in; Gordon, Braun and Kayo are more suitable for running around Jokic.

Bruce Brown to the Nuggets' Year: Averages 9 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists per game.

Brown averaged 12 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game, and 12 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists per game in the playoffs, winning the championship.

Brown has been away from the Nuggets for two years: averaging 8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists per game.

Now Brown is back to Jokic.

In addition to Jokic and Murray last season, the team had to deal with the half-court ball with Gordon, Braun and Westbrook. Now there are more Kayo and Brown who is familiar with the Nuggets system and knows how to play with Jokic.

I guess Jokic's assists per game will be reduced...

Valanciunas's original words:

"I am excited to play back to Panasinacos, which is closer to home, but I have to wait. The Nuggets give me a contract. I feel very honored. Now I have to give everything to win the championship!"

Off topic, Valanciunas' final championship - the Lithuanian Domestic League Cup and the European Youth Championship - has been more than ten years since then; ten years ago, he led Lithuania to the European Championship final, but lost to 35-year-old Paul Gasol (the fans of Lille in France that day cheered for Lithuania, who made Gasol score 40 points in the semi-finals to eliminate France?). On the eve of leaving the NBA - returning to Greece to play basketball meant the end of his NBA career - he really wanted a ring.

He is indeed a long-term player with a comprehensive offense, with second-time scoring efficiency in the league last season, although his defensive end is similar to Jokic.

But finally Aaron Gordon doesn't need to go to the top 5 position.

Gorden proved last season that he could be to Jokic, Horry to the Great Dream and the Sharks. On the defensive end, he swept the weak side and replaced all positions, the role player version of Giannis; on the offensive end, three-pointers, all-in-one, and thrown.

in the fourth game against the Clippers, with a final hit.

in the first game against the Thunder, with a three-pointer. He did everything

Horry could do.

There is nothing more to ask for, just health: don't be so tired that he will play against the Thunder with one leg.

Jamar Murray is still...Murray. Occasionally, they take three-pointers, throw shots, and attack, and play like Mitchell, which reminds people of the 2020 playoffs they exchanged 50 points; other times, gods and ghosts. But last season, he averaged 21.4 points per game, and he was still the highest in his career - yes, this is his highest in his career, so he still didn't make it to the All-Star.

I have a small guess: for a player like Murray, the regular season is too long. He scored 55 points in the last game before the All-Star last season, and felt like "Ah, it's finally the weekend." But in the playoffs, the series is more compact and he is more focused, so the 43 points against the Clippers in Game 5 are so eye-catching.

There are not many requirements for him: go to the playoffs healthily.

This means that Braun has to do more work in the regular season.

Braun's career trajectory is a bit like the experience of Lowry on the wing side of the Grizzlies and the Rockets: he fought for playing time with a desperate attitude, gradually won the trust of the coach, and held the rotation seat with a steady performance; slowly did something other than a fixed-point shooter: he played a duo with Jokic, threw Jokic's pass into the open three-pointer; he stole the points quickly, occasionally dunked to boost the morale of the team, and occasionally served as a deputy holding the ball in the position.

He, and Bruce Brown, should have matted Murray's body, just as Valancius matted Jokic and Gordon, to avoid them from overworking.

Then, the playoffs.

So this is what the Nuggets look like next season:

Longers: Jokic, Gordon, Valanciunas (reduced the burden on the first two), Kayo (if needed).

wings: Kayo, Brown, Braun, Hardavi.

Defender: Murray (Brown, Braun).

Enji, Watson, Strauser and Pickett provide support. All goals are pointed to: to reach the playoffs healthily, so that Murray + Braun + Kayo + Gordon + Jokic can have the energy to hold on.

Finally, Jokic.

Last quarter, Alexander won the double MVP, which is generally the proof of the first person in the world - Jordan's four times, LeBron's 2012 and 2013, Duncan's 2003, Shark's 2000, Big Dream's 1994, Magic's 1987, Bird's 1984 and 1986, Moses's 1983, Tiangou's 1971, Reed's 1970, most of this, maybe only Reed's 1970 is an exception? ——But Jokic can still make many fans feel that "Alexander is not the best in the world"? Since the 2020-21 season, the regular season + playoffs.

Jokic scored second in the league (Tatum first), rebounded first in the league, assisted second in the league (Yang first), steal first in the league, and RPM first in the league.

His stable peak performance made many people not even marvel at "In the 2025 playoffs, Jokic faced the league's first and third defenses, averaging 26 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals per game."

In 2019, he proved that the center could organize top offenses in the league; in 2022, he proved that he could support the team to enter the playoffs alone and win the MVP again; last season, he averaged triple-double, with a shooting percentage of 58% + 42% + 80% plus 34 triple-double in a single season, and the whole world was not even moved.

I think the most interesting thing about him last season:

Last season, Jokic led the "unreasonable zone penalty area score" for the fourth time in five years - throws, hooks, push shots, short mid-range shots, etc.

In the 2019-20 season, 38% of the shooting in the NBA have come from the three-point line, and 28% of the shooting are from the basket: Magic. Only 17% of the shots are 3 to 10 feet - shots, hook shots, etc.

After all, the league's shooting percentage is 67% and the shooting percentage is 40%. Everyone still loves to kill.

There is only an exception for Jokic: his 28% shots that year were 3 to 10 feet, and his shooting percentage was 60%. 2.3 shots per game, second in the league.

Next year, Jokic threw 3.4 in each game, with a 57% shooting percentage, and he is MVP.

The next year, 3.4, with a hit rate of 61%, and won the MVP again.

The next year, 3.3, 63% shooting percentage, MVP lost to Embiid; in the playoffs, Jokic scored 5.4 shots per game and won the championship.

The next year, we will score 4.2 per game, with a 62% shooting percentage. MVP.

Last season, Jokic scored 4 shots per game, with a shooting percentage of 57%.

3J, Cunningham, Fat Tigers and Alexander each scored more than 3 shorts - in 2020, 2.4 shots per game were the first in the league.

If Curry's 2015 and 2016 made everyone believe in long shots; Curry Harden and Lillard made the ball and thrust three-pointers popular, and Harden's three-game scoring champion allowed the ball to play a combination of long shots and shots (Brunson and Cunningham), then Jokic...had the near-basket throwing hook promoted?

Of course, these don't make much sense to Jokic.

In the past five years, Jokic's regular season MVP vote rankings: 1, 1, 2 (Embid: "Why do I have to be under pressure?!"), 1, 2.

Since the MVP was voted by the media, there are probably only similar journeys:

Byder of 1981-88: 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 3, 2.

Magicians of

1983-91: 3, 3, 2, 3, 1, 3, 1, 1, 2.

1987-1998 Jordan (full season): 2, 1, 2, 3, 1, 1, 3, 1, 2, 1.

LeBron from 2008-2016: 1, 1, 3, 1, 1, 2, 3, 3.

Jokic set such a high benchmark in the regular season between 2020 and 25: For Jokic, regular season data, trends, models, influence and scrambling to imitate are meaningless. Everyone knows that he is the most outstanding center forward in offensive influence this century and even in basketball history.

The only thing worth his challenge now is the championship.

Although to himself... it might be a horse racing?