ORLANDO – Nikola Jokić went through a moderate post-shootaround workout on Friday morning, his most extensive on-court work since spraining his left ankle last week.
“It was good just to have some movements, just to have the ball in (my) hands,” Jokić said. “I still feel pain, it’s still swollen. So…it’s better but I still feel it. I do progress. Every day is better. So, hopefully it’s going to be better tomorrow.”
The workout was about 15 minutes of a bevy of different kinds of drills. Two days ago, all Jokić did was an exercise bike. Yet, while he is steadily improving, he cautioned that there remain plenty of hurdles to get over before he can think about returning to the court.
“I cannot jump with my left leg,” Jokić said. “I still cannot jump. That’s the main problem. And I cannot relax my leg when I’m running. I need to control it. I need to think about it.”
Nuggets coach Michael Malone said he is holding out hope that the star center can return to the team before the end of the current six-game road trip. Jokić will miss his fourth-straight game with the injury on Friday night when the Nuggets face Orlando.
“The medical staff is doing a very good job, and not just with me,” Jokić said. “So, every time is better. I think I’m kind of close, just to get used to how it’s been. But yesterday I woke up so sore, and today was not that sore. So, every day is different. We are going to see how it is day-to-day.”
Christopher Dempsey: christopher.dempsey@altitude.tv and @chrisadempsey on Twitter.