With the NBA In-Season Tournament on the verge of beginning, Nikola Jokic has his eyes on Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder. As many NBA fans might be aware, the league introduced this midseason tournament for the first time this season.
Although it was initially met with a fair share of skepticism, the players have come to accept and look forward to competing in the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament. Several prominent stars from across the league such as Nikola Jokic were recently interviewed and asked about the upcoming event.
The Nuggets star was questioned about his own picks and predictions for the group stages of the tournament and which team he predicts to have a significant impact on the In-Season Tournament. With that being said, let us take a closer look at the situation and find out more.
Nikola Jokic picks Chet Holmgren and the OKC Thunder as the wildcard from the Western Conference
This NBA In-Season tournament promises to be quite an exciting opportunity that members of the basketball community are eagerly anticipating. After all, having the teams across the league compete in a single elimination format tournament over the next month is certainly an interesting idea that could become quite profitable.
Jokic is the reigning Finals MVP and has been given a fair share of attention from the media following his recent postseason success. He was interviewed and asked to select the team which he believed would advance from each of the groups.
Nikola Jokic makes his Group Stage picks for the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament group stage 👀🏆
The action starts TONIGHT on ESPN and the NBA App! pic.twitter.com/laG8wBlfk8
— NBA In-Season Tournament (@NBA) November 3, 2023
When questioned about the group including the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, and OKC Thunder, Jokic hesitated but ended up claiming that GSW was most likely to emerge victorious.
However, when asked about which team he expected as a wild card from the Western Conference, the Nuggets star ended up going with the Oklahoma City Thunder. This makes sense considering that the team finally has their hyped-up rookie healthy and on the court.
Chet has already proven himself over the past few preseason and regular season games. He even managed to help his team get a win over Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs recently. More interestingly, Jokic and the Nuggets recently matched up against the OKC Thunder.
Although the Nuggets ended up winning by a landslide, Nikola might have seen something in the team that makes them a significant threat in this In-Season tournament. We look forward to seeing how well the OKC Thunder is able to perform.