On Monday, December 29th, a moment happened that Denver Nuggets fans dread seeing: Nikola Jokic going down with an injury. When it happened, fans were expecting the worst, such as it being a season-ending injury that would essentially end a season that had already looked so promising.

However, the injury turned out to be less severe, but still one that would cause the MVP candidate to miss multiple games. Since going down with the injury, the Nuggets have gone 9-5, getting elite play from Jamal Murray and Peyton Watson, as well as other depth pieces stepping up. Luckily, a return appears to be near.

Appearing on ESPN's NBA Today, insider Shams Charania provided an update on where things stand with Jokic as fans anxiously await a return from the star center.

"I'm told the Denver Nuggets will re-evaluate Nikola Jokic in about a week. He is making great progress. He's in the ramp-up phase of his return to play process," Charania said.

While the team has been able to look to Jonas Valanciunas with Jokic out, Valanciunas, too, has battled injuries, leaving the team to work with a rotation of DaRon Holmes II and Zeke Nnaji.

"This is a Denver Nuggets team, as well as Nikola Jokic, that are partnering and working together on weighing the team's long-term health and success over the course of the entire season, more than him just being eligible for postseason awards, like MVP and All-NBA...," he added.

While Jokic could very well play the remainder of the season and win his fourth MVP award, it seems as though he and the team are putting the priority on his long-term health and ensuring he has no setbacks heading into a 2026 postseason where expectations will be high for Denver.

Winning another MVP would certainly mean a lot for Jokic's resume in terms of all-time rankings, but there's an argument to be had that winning a second NBA title is more valuable at this point in his career.

However, if Jokic could return in about a week, that means returning on Sunday in their marquee matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder is off the table, but he could return against either the Detroit Pistons or New York Knicks next week.

A return at Madison Square Garden seems picturesque, but then again, it seems that the team is emphasizing having their star available for the rest of the season, and not just the upcoming stretch of games. If the Nuggets can keep playing the way they've been without Jokic, there won't be much pressure to return.