The Zach Lowe Show

Episode: "How Will the Nuggets Survive Without Nikola Jokic?"

Date: January 1, 2026
Host: Zach Lowe
Guests: Adam Morris (DNVR Sports), Tim Legler (All City Pod), Mo Takeil

Overview

This jam-packed New Year's episode explores the Denver Nuggets' unprecedented challenges with Nikola Jokic and several starters out, including the impact of the NBA's 65-game rule on the MVP and All-NBA races. The discussion extends around key injury- and roster-related issues, the shifting Western and Eastern Conference power dynamics, tanking, the All-Star race, and big-picture NBA trends. With a rotation of guests—Nuggets expert Adam Morris, insightful analyst Tim Legler, and strategic thinker Mo Takeil—the conversation is sharp, funny, and candid, delivering real-time perspectives from around the Association.

Nuggets in Uncharted Territory: Life Without Jokic

Setting the Scene

• Nikola Jokic out for ~1 month (hyperextended knee), plus several other injuries: Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson.
• Nuggets starting unusual lineups (e.g., Jalen Pickett’s surprise start): [04:20]
• 15 games in 25 days: Schedule "is not hard, but...very crowded" [02:59]

How Bad Will The Slide Be?

• Zach Lowe: "When Jokic first got hurt...my first thought was, well, they're going to drop in the standings...Are they at risk of actually falling to seventh and falling into the play-in? And does that even matter?" [03:31]
• Tim Legler: "Absolutely. I think they're only four games in the loss column up. That's not, you know, that's one bad week, two bad weeks away from falling there." [04:57]

Surviving the Stretch

• "If Denver goes 5 and 10 in their next 15 games, I think that’s... not implausible...Is 5 and 10 optimistic or pessimistic?" (Lowe, [06:48])
  • Legler: "A little pessimistic. Five is on the low end of what I would hope for, but...it's certainly in play." [07:49]
• Lowe: "I don't care [about seed]...When Jokic comes back, they're going to start winning at their normal pace again..." [08:23]
• The team "doesn’t care much about seeding," and might even prefer a 6th seed to avoid OKC until later. [08:23]

Key Concerns and Opportunities

• Biggest concern: Jamal Murray burnout with so many stars out. [12:17]
  • "[Jamal] Burnout is probably my number one concern over this next month, even more so than dropping in the standings." (Legler, [12:41])
• Hope for internal development, assessing end-of-bench talent like Pickett, Holmes, and Watson. [09:31]

Notable Quotes

• Lowe: "Denver is the second best team in the NBA and really not that far from Oklahoma City when they're all healthy because they have the ultimate trump card and it's the big fella." [10:25]
• Legler: "Every win is going to feel like, my God, we avoided a disaster." [04:57]

The 65-Game Rule: Jokic, MVP, and All-NBA

Overview

• Jokic could miss exactly four weeks, putting him at 65 games—the eligibility threshold for MVP/All-NBA. [13:39]
• Lowe: "I'm tired. I'm ready to just abolish the rule. ...There's no question 64 games of Jokic is the first team all NBA player." [15:41]

The Debate

• Legler: Rule changes must happen in offseason; otherwise, "now that it's him, you want to change the rules midstream...that's unfair." [16:51]
• Awards voting: "People try to imagine what this will mean 10 years from now," but you can't know; just evaluate the present. (Legler, [19:08])

Player Development & Rotation Watch

• Peyton Watson vs. Christian Braun: Juggling athleticism, shooting, and "future minutes" implications. [20:07]
  • Legler: "Denver kind of has to make a decision...do you try to find minutes for Peyton Watson alongside Jokic? ...They [likely] can't afford him."
• Zeke Nnaji: "If he can't get into these games, it's really over for the Zeke man." (Lowe, [11:41])

League Roundup Highlights (Mo Takeil segment, [38:38])

San Antonio Spurs & Wemby’s Fit

• Wemby’s injury minor, but his integration with dribble-drive guards under close watch.
• Takeil: "It's challenging for him to find his spot...they’re still trying to integrate how to incorporate Wemby's spots."
• Lowe: "They can win the championship...they pants the Thunder twice." [46:11–47:50]

Utah Jazz and Tanking

• Top-8 protected pick owed to OKC, could drive subtle tanking via strategic DNPs, trades.
• "Utah has been tanking all year...one of my favorite bad teams to watch." (Legler, [31:01])
• Discussion of developmental tanking: "There's tanking where you're trying to lose games and there's tanking where you're trying to develop young players." [31:01]

Eastern Conference Parity

• Knicks as consensus pick, but "nobody fears them": "Their offense is unassailably really good. It's their defense..." (Lowe, [56:34])
• Cavs are rising again: "When Garland is Garland, they're just a completely different team." [66:07]
• Magic’s Paolo Banchero-Franz Wagner Fit: Highly scrutinized. Banchero's efficiency down, but “too soon to give up.” (Lowe & Takeil, [76:48])
• Trade machine rumblings: Giannis, Anthony Davis, Trae Young all discussed as looming high-stakes possibilities.

The LeBron All-Star Question

• LeBron 9th in fan voting, at risk to miss All-Star ("hasn't earned it on-court this season")
• Lowe: "Adam Silver names LeBron James to the All Star team one way or another. That's my prediction. But it is...dicey." [25:39]
• Legler: "It feels like a true changing of the guards...We don't need the LeBron story anymore." [26:48]

Quick Hits & Notable Moments

• Lowe on Adam Silver and All-Star voting mechanics: “Can we just go back to east versus West? Like, why is this so f---ing hard?” [42:11]
• Jazz player development vs. tanking: "I think you can go up and down the NBA right now and every team has one guy that is some late first or early second or undrafted player that is contributing." (Legler, [32:33])
• Paolo Banchero, Magic’s offense: Team plays faster, with more space and flow when Banchero is out; both hosts withhold judgment until all the best players play significant minutes together. [79:26–81:59]
• Austin Reaves/Lakers: “My bet would be the Lakers keep him. They resign him over the summer…I bet he takes slightly less than the max to stay in LA…then you make a decision.” (Lowe, [94:19])

Segment Timestamps

• Nuggets/Jokic injury, playoff outlook – [00:06–13:39]
• 65-game rule & MVP/All-NBA debate – [13:39–19:54]
• Young Nuggets, player development – [20:07–22:40]
• Western Conference, tanking, Jazz – [27:22–37:38]
• Spurs, Wemby’s fit, championship ceiling – [38:38–55:23]
• Eastern Conference tiers, Knicks, Cavs, Magic – [56:34–85:00]
• All-Star, LeBron, awards conversation – [22:40–27:03]
• Trade rumors: Giannis, Davis, Trae Young – throughout, particularly [52:55–71:06]

Memorable Quotes

• "Every win is going to feel like, my God, we avoided a disaster." — Tim Legler, on the Jokic-less Nuggets [04:57]
• "Denver is the second best team in the NBA...they have the ultimate trump card and it's the big fella." — Zach Lowe [10:25]
• "I'm tired. I'm ready to just abolish the [65-game] rule. ...There's no question 64 games of Jokic is the first team all NBA player." — Zach Lowe [15:41]
• "Is five and ten optimistic or pessimistic to you?" — Zach Lowe [06:48]
• "I think they're an inner circle title contender...they're really excited about what this team could be when they get Brown, Gordon, Jokic, Johnson back." — Zach Lowe [09:31]
• "LeBron to me...he's hanging on in a way that I almost feel is like, okay, there's other storylines here. Step aside." — Tim Legler [26:48]
• "I do hear...the most valuable jump is from in the conversation to favorites." — Zach Lowe [55:23]
• "They [Magic] don't do [Paolo] any favors...I find him a lot of time in ISO..." — Mo Takeil [76:48]

Tone and Style

• Smart, rapid-fire, occasionally irreverent ("Screw you, Scotiabank...")
• Insightful, layered analysis mixed with real league reporting (“talked to their people...” “front office feels...”)
• Moments of playful banter and self-deprecation (e.g., comparing Bruce Brown to The Odyssey, debating NBA arena names, podcast host vacation anecdotes).
• A blend of humor and urgency about the league's big questions, injuries, and ongoing movement.

For Listeners/Newcomers

This episode provides a detailed, up-to-the-minute view of the NBA season's inflection points:

• Nuggets/NBA title race hinges on Jokic’s health & depth development.
• The 65-game rule is set to spark major MVP and All-NBA controversy.
• Power in both conferences is up for grabs, with each perceived favorite holding unforeseen vulnerabilities.
• Key watchlist: how young Nuggets step up, Paolo/Franz fit, LeBron’s All-Star streak, Jazz’s tank, and the evolving trade market as the deadline nears.

Whether you’re a die-hard fan or catching up after the holidays, this episode delivers both a state-of-the-league snapshot and plenty of locker-room-level storytelling.