Nikola Jokić says three former Denver teammates helped teach him a training habit he still follows.
Nikola Jokić has become the player younger Denver Nuggets teammates can study. Early in his career, he says, he was the one watching the veterans.
In a recent interview shared by Basketball Sphere, Jokić named Jameer Nelson, Wilson Chandler and Mike Miller as players whose training habits caught his attention when he arrived in the NBA.
Their example gave him a straightforward approach: Keep showing up and do something each day.
Jokić said he copied what he saw from the veterans. He described spending roughly 295 out of 300 days at the practice facility, an indication of how deeply the routine has stayed with him.
The comments offer a look at a less visible part of his development. Fans see the passes, scoring and control that make Jokić such a difficult player to defend. They do not always see the ordinary work that helps him sustain that level over a long season.
Veterans set the example
Nelson, Chandler and Miller were at different stages of their careers when they crossed paths with Jokić in Denver. For a young center adjusting to the NBA, they provided examples of how established players prepared away from games.
Jokić’s takeaway was practical. He did not describe one workout that transformed his career. He described the value of returning consistently, even when the day’s work was limited.
That distinction matters. A player entering the league can learn plays and techniques from coaches, but teammates also show him what a professional routine looks like. Jokić said he adopted habits he saw firsthand.
His career has since taken him far beyond the role he occupied as a young Nuggets player. The lesson he recalled, though, was about preparation rather than status.
The example he sets now
Denver’s younger players have an opportunity to learn from Jokić in much the same way. They can watch how he reads a defense during games, but they can also see how he approaches the days between them.
That does not mean copying his style will produce another Jokić. His vision and touch are rare. The habit he credits to Nelson, Chandler and Miller is more accessible: arrive, work and repeat.
Jokić’s account also gives those former teammates a place in the story of his rise. Their influence was not a spectacular play or a single piece of advice. It was a standard they demonstrated often enough for him to notice and adopt.
Years later, Jokić says he still follows it. For a Nuggets team with younger players trying to establish their own careers, that may be the clearest lesson he can pass along.
