In the weeks following Michael Malone's late-season firing from the Denver Nuggets, we've seen glimpses of Nikola Jokić clearly taking on a more vocal player-coaching role with his teammates. Interim head coach David Adelman's steady approach to asking Nuggets players to take more of a personal responsibility for their play has likely resonated with the three-time MVP the most of all.

The Denver Nuggets took a major chance firing their head coach right before the playoffs began. With just a week left in the NBA's regular season, the Nuggets d

The end result is proving to be an even better version of Nikola Jokic. That is the sentiment, at least, from one NBA insider. The Nuggets will head into Thursday night's matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers with an opportunity to wrap up the four-five series in the Western Conference.