You never like to see any player go down injured, and it was no different when Nikola Jokic dropped to the floor in agony for the Denver Nuggets recently.
You can be the biggest Phoenix Suns fan in the world, but even you have to admit he is a joy to watch every night. Luckily it was not a long-term injury, with the Serbian superstar likely to be out 4-6 weeks.
Suns can avoid play-in altogether with Jokic absent
This injury news has a far reaching impact in the Western Conference, with the Suns one of the teams who come under that umbrella. We have already claimed that they will make the playoffs this season.
But even we thought that would have to happen through the play-in tournament. Optimistically we hoped that could be through finishing seventh (were they sit now) or eighth, but Jokic's injury changes the outlook.
Just in: Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic has been diagnosed with a hyperextension in his left knee and will miss at least four weeks. An immense sigh of relief as tests show the three-time NBA MVP's knee ligaments are intact. pic.twitter.com/u8qLE0GDd3
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 30, 2025
You can bet the 22-10 Nuggets are going to tumble down the standings, and the 19-13 Suns have a realistic chance of catching them.
They're winners of four straight games, only the L.A. Clippers have won more at five, and have center Mark Williams back in the mix after suspension.
They also are yet to get Jalen Green for an extended run of games, and although long trips out East are on the horizon, there was plenty to be optimistic about in The Valley even before this Jokic news.
What the Suns now have the opportunity to do is sneak into the sixth seed, and skip the play-in tournament altogether. They've already exceeded expectations, but this would be the ultimate vindication for trading Kevin Durant.
They would be a tough first round out and although they would likely lose, their opponents would likely be? Durant and the Houston Rockets, imagine how much fun a series between them two would be.
You just know Collin Gillespie and Dillon Brooks would be taking everything Durant did personally, and the atmosphere in Phoenix would be electric. We would absolutely love to see this.
Again, you never wish injury on any player, but Jokic sitting out for a while has actually made this a real possibility.
It also likely has the positive knock-on effect of showing Devin Booker that the front office knows what they're doing, and are in the process of building a contender again once more.
As Green himself has shown, the vibes are high with this group right now.