When the Nuggets acquired Jusuf Nurkic on draft night three years ago, they knew they had a special international talent on their hands, and in last night’s victory Juka showed why he is set to have the breakout season everyone has been waiting for.

Coming into the year, Jusuf Nurkic had an uphill battle ahead of him. He barely played in the season prior due to injury and physical conditioning. And when Nikola Jokic bursted onto the scene, it made it look like the Bosnian Beast had lost his way.

But Juka answered the call this offseason, putting in the work necessary to take the next step in his career.

All offseason long, Nurkic was constantly posting on social media, showing off the hard work he was doing in the gym, accompanied by the hashtag #ProveThemWrong.

There’s no doubt Nurkic has a chip on his shoulder, and his first game of the new season is a direct reflection of the work he put in during the offseason.

In the team’s season opening win, Nurkic dominated, putting up 23 points (a career high) and snagging nine boards.

“Like I told you in the preseason, this year is going to be my year, and I’ll do whatever I need to do to win the game,” Nurkic told Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post. “Even if I didn’t play in the fourth quarter, whatever the coach decides, I was with the team.”

Nurkic has put the work in all offseason long to be great this year, with training camp, the preseason and the first regular season game all reflecting the dedication Nurkic has to the game and to the Nuggets.

Expect to see big things coming from the Bosnian Beast all season long.