Nuggets' Nikola Jokic poised to rewrite history again
Don’t look now, but Nikola Jokic is doing it again.

Sure, his Nuggets are off to a slow 2-2 start, but the Serb is again putting up numbers never seen before or unattained since the NBA-ABA merger.

On Tuesday, he dropped 29 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists against the Nets, a stat line not registered since Oscar Robertson in 1962.

The game marked Jokic’s seventh career 25/15/15 stat line — more than every active player combined, per StatMuse.

In the last 40 years, no player has more 20/15/15 games than Jokic’s eight. Even triple-double king Russell Westbrook topped out at six before regressing into a role player.

Has Jokic benefited from the lack of star teammates? Sure. He’s the only player since the merger to win three MVPs without an All-NBA or All-Star teammate.

There isn’t a bigger one-man band in the NBA, and no other player gets to stuff a box score as much. But the beauty of Jokic is he puts up these astronomical numbers unassumingly, within the flow of the offense, while getting his teammates involved in every possession.

The unselfish Nugget is just too good at basketball, and we haven’t seen a stat king of his kind since Wilt Chamberlain and Robertson.

While Tuesday’s game was another peek into what’s to come this season, here’s a quick rundown of all the first-time box-score entries from Jokic in the 2023-24 season:

26 points, 16 rebounds, 18 assists vs. Pelicans on Nov. 17, 2023.
32 points, 16 rebounds, 16 assists, 4 steals vs. Warriors on Feb. 25, 2024.
35 points, 17 rebounds, 12 assists, 6 steals vs. Raptors on March 11, 2024.
Most efficient four-game stretch in NBA history between Dec. 28, 2023 and Jan. 4, 2024. Shot .886 from the field.
First to tally 2,000 points and 700 assists for a season while shooting over 55 percent.
First to lead his team in total points, rebounds, assists and field-goal percentage (min. 250 attempts) in four straight seasons.

This season, with the Nuggets losing some firepower, Jokic is poised to put up even bigger numbers. Get ready for many more first-time box-score entries.