The NBA's most unserious MVP, do you really believe that Jokic hasn't touched basketball all summer?

On media day in October, a reporter asked Jokic, have you touched the ball this summer?

Jokic's answer was, touched, but not much.

At this time, Murray, who was sitting next to him, had already stopped in Bengbu, and he hurriedly said: "He didn't touch it, he didn't." ”

After all, Mr. Jo's painting style this summer is like this:

Like many fans and media, Jokic is regarded as the first star of the new season.

He was FMVP and the Nuggets were the defending champions.

And this fat man, like the genius who doesn't have to study too hard, but can still take the first place in the class, is jealous, but helpless.

But never absolute talent, do you really believe that Jokic hasn't touched the ball for a summer?

On the day that the Nuggets defeated the Heat 4-1 to win the championship, Mr. Joe was interviewed, and the media told him that the Nuggets would hold a championship parade on the 15th local time.

Mr. Yo frowned and said that he wanted to borrow a private jet from his boss because his horse was going to race the next day.

Sure enough, after the Nuggets' championship-winning parade ended and the team spent another night of partying in Las Vegas, Jokić jumped on his boss's plane and returned to his paradise, Sombor, Serbia.

The superstar's summer was supposed to be unknown for a few months, but basketball fans around the world were enjoying a side of his life that few people had ever seen.

He quickly jumped into the horse race and dressed like a normal person, but this summer, quite a few shots were on him.

From June 16, when Jokic started his shortest offseason, to October 1, when he finally returned to Denver, Jokic spent a happy 107 days in his hometown.

His style this summer is dancing and punching in the crowd to live music, celebrating one of his horse victories, singing Serbian songs shirtless and celebrating silver medals in the World Cup with his teammates.

Jokic's video went viral and unveiled the NBA's most secret superstar.

For example, in July, while Jokic was traveling on the Tara River, the 2.08m centre-forward weighing 128kg deftly performed a forward flip on the raft and jumped into the water.

This may be more impressive than his three-point setback against Bushy Brow in the Western Conference Finals.

Even Spurs coach Popovich called Nuggets coach Malone and asked, "What the hell are your people doing?" Malone said, and Popovich asked him, "I've been to that river, man." Is he crazy? ”

Fortunately, the Nuggets are very tolerant of this. Team owner Kroenke didn't text Jokic as usual over the summer.

"We didn't care about him. For him, leaving basketball, being with his family, and finding himself again, is a good thing for the Nuggets and basketball, because he came back brand new. ”

"People are bored." Jokic analyzes why fans are paying attention to his summer.

"Like me, they live boring lives, so they want to document some more people. You shouldn't let everyone see this (laughs). ”

Reassuring Nuggets fans, of course, that although Jokic claims he only touched basketball a few times this summer, he has largely stuck to his regular training routine, just as he has done after a championship-free season.

Speaking at the training camp, Malone said: "Jokic trains and plays with some Serbian players. I don't know how long he's been in the gym, but he's been trying to be at his best. ”

"We even have to worry about whether he's okay mentally."

Leaving Sombol, his parents, his friends, his horse was always hard, and I worried about his mental state when he returned to Denver.

But Jokic has always been great. He looks in good shape and I'm really happy. ”

For the second consecutive offseason, Jokic went to Europe to play Jokic in Gordon at Nuggets' teammate.

Gordon was in Prague, Czech Republic, last year to watch Jokić play the European Championship with the Serbian national team.

One of Gordon's favorite stops on this year's round-the-world trip was Serbia.

For three days, Jokic took Gordon around Sombol to the villa by the lake, where he had enjoyed visiting horse racing together since childhood.

Gordon marvels at the culture and simple life of this town of only 40,000 people.

He described how they walked from one side of Sombor to the other "in 35 minutes" and how calm it was compared to America's busy lifestyle.

So much so that after Gordon's trip to China, he flew back to Serbia and continued to play with Jokic for a few days, and they watched horse racing together.

Jokic even turned Gordon into a fan of horse racing.

When one of Jokic's horses won the race, Gordon jumped and applauded, and Jokic proudly asked Gordon to hold the trophy for a photo.

Gordon said he wanted to bet on Jokic's horse, but Jokic said, "Hey, Aron, don't make me unlucky." ”

"Jokic's daily life in his hometown, his way of life, is very much in line with who he is."

Gordon said: "I can feel his calm, his mentality on the pitch is so peaceful. That's why he's a good player. ”

Gordon said he likened Sombol to "a storybook town."

"The architecture is beautiful, it seems that each building is unique, it's their really relaxed lifestyle and very healthy."

Gordon also fell in love with the food, and Jokic's favorite dish: fish stew.

"I have horses in France, Italy and Serbia and they all win races."

Jokic said: "So I'm happy. They don't always need to win games. This is my hobby. I just want them to be healthy and run well. When I end my career, I'm going to have a lot of horses. ”

One part of the few days Gordon played with Jokic that wasn't featured on social media was their training, which was offline.

"He would go to the gym every day where his basketball journey began, and when I went that day, it was 37 degrees and the birds were pooping on the floor." Gordon said.

During his first week home, Jokic only went to the gym twice, once for 30 minutes. The second week was increased to five times a week.

After the third week, Jokic had to do aerobics twice a week, followed by non-contact training, and it really took him a long time to get back to the basketball.

"He's already the best player in the world, but he's still training hard. His care for his body, diet and attention to technical details are second to none. Gordon said.

As a result, Jokic entered training camp in "pretty good shape," and the Nuggets were in a hurry, hoping only that he would be at his best in the playoffs.

"We don't need him to be at his best right now."

Nuggets training director Eichenberg said at training camp: "We hope he can improve throughout the season and get to his best in the playoffs so he can win again." ”

A few days before Nuggets training camp, Jokic argued frequently with the referee during practice games, and Malone thought the two of them were "going to fight."

Teammates noticed that Jokic was more leader, both in words and in deeds.

"I think he feels more comfortable, which is a great thing because we want to hear as much information as possible from him." Nuggets center Watson said.

Malone hopes Jokic, with Murray's help, to better communicate and lead the team in the new season.

With veterans like Jeff Green leaving, Malone needs his core duo to take more control of the locker room.

"He's only 28 years old."

Gordon said: "So he's going to get smarter on the defensive end. As for the attack, I don't see anyone who can stop him. No team has ever found an answer for him. ”

Still, Jokic never stopped improving.

While many were still watching his entertainment, Jokic spent time online watching Serbian coaches play basketball tactics.

When asked how often he conducts basketball seminars, Jokic revealed why "Jokic Summer" isn't all about dancing and singing.

"I think if you want to be a good player, you need to be an avid basketball player. This is your job and this is your life. ”