It’s almost unfathomable that the Denver Nuggets, who have been historically lousy when three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić is on the bench over the past few years, are 7-4 since Joker was injured and donned a coat and tie for a month. Those who predicted a complete collapse and a likely play-in game position in the postseason can be forgiven for thinking that way. It made perfect sense when the injury first happened.

It doesn’t anymore.

The Nuggets, minus Jokic, have been nerve-wracking to watch. Minus the expectations that Joker will put up triple-doubles and lead the Nuggets to a 55-win season while perhaps winning a fourth MVP award, Nuggets Nation never knows what to expect from a team that’s missing three other major contributors as well. There are stretches when they don’t even resemble the Nuggets we’re used to seeing. They scrap, they claw, they drain three-pointers (most nights.) Even after getting dominated on the boards for almost the entire game (by teams that still have actual centers on the active roster), they find a way to get clutch rebounds and make clutch free throws (most nights.)

Smoke and mirrors? Who cares.

Regardless of what they’re doing and how they’re doing it, the fact is the Nuggets are still keeping their collective heads above water, and are still in good shape for a high playoff seeding. They can still have designs, and even the expectation, for another deep postseason run… and perhaps another parade.

Ironically, by winning without him, they’re also putting a dent into Jokic’s MVP candidacy.

So be it. That’s not the main goal anyway.

Joker isn’t ready to return just yet, but he will be sooner rather than later. After Tuesday night’s home game against the Lakers, Denver begins a three-game road trip Thursday night in Washington D.C. Optimistically, they could have their star center back when they return to host Eastern Conference leading Detroit on January 27th. Regardless of when it actually happens, it’s going to require the entire roster to make another huge adjustment.

All of them have to get used to playing with Joker again… and he’s going to have to adjust to the way guys like Peyton Watson, Spencer Jones and Jalen Pickett have been playing in his absence.

While Jamal Murray has been carrying the load on offense, he’s still playing the same way he always plays. He’s taking more shots and scoring more points, but style-wise, it won’t be difficult for him to go back to doing a little less of both. Same goes with Aaron Gordon, who still isn’t 100% back from his hamstring injury, and probably won’t be for the rest of the season.

But for a player like Watson, for example, throttling it back may be a not-so-easy adjustment. That means taking fewer shots right when he’s about to become a free agent and needs to showcase himself.

So these are legit questions to ask: Can they take fewer three-pointers? Can they go back to running the offense around Joker? Can they, will they… continue to scrape and claw and play as hard as they can on the defensive end?

For the Nuggets to challenge the Oklahoma City Thunder for Western Conference supremacy, Joker is going to need to dominate the ball and be facilitating the offense once again. Only this time, instead of relying on just Murray and Gordon for key stretches, he should have added confidence in guys like Watson and Tim Hardaway Jr, too. When the Nuggets get completely healthy, they can bring Spencer Jones off the bench to spell Gordon, Pickett off the bench to facilitate in Murray’s place, and they won’t get destroyed on the glass when Jonas Valančiūnas can come in for the well-rested Joker.

There will always be just one basketball…and in these parts, that ball needs to be in Joker’s hands as much as possible.

But maybe not as often as it used to.