The first seeds of what Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic could expect next were laid in Rio de Janeiro in August. Days after he’d scorched the United States for 25 points and six rebounds in the Olympic tournament, Jokic’s name was being highlighted on a scouting report.

No longer an afterthought, Team USA formulated a plan to keep Jokic, a 6-foot-10 power forward, from reprising that lead role in their rematch. Jokic had arrived, with the whole world watching him star for his home country, Serbia. In three whirlwind weeks, Jokic went from an unknown to a household name among hoop aficionados.

The Nuggets were already well aware of his talents. He is their crown jewel example of what on-point international scouting can uncover.

The Nuggets need their young players such as Jokic to grow up quickly if they are to reach their goal of making the playoffs after a three-year absence.

So what does Jokic have in store for an encore after an all-rookie season? He keeps it simple.

“I’m going to play the same way I played last year,” he said. “Hard, never give up, give 100 percent. That’s what I will try to do.”

Keeping it simple, and sometimes goofy, is Jokic.

“You can ask anybody about him, he just walks around, he’s just a big kid. He doesn’t take himself so serious,” teammate Will Barton said. “You wouldn’t even think he plays, the way he walks around — so happy, giddy. And I love that about him. He’s one of my favorite people to be around, and on the team to play with, because he’s just so selfless. I learn from him in that aspect.

“To be so talented and now people are expecting things from you. When people start expecting things from you, naturally you get a little more selfish because you want to live up to those things. And he doesn’t care. He goes out there and is himself every time. That’s a great trait to have.”

It’s also great to have a soft shooting touch, range out to the 3-point line, ballet-like footwork on the block and basketball smarts.

“Nikola Jokic’s IQ is so off the charts that he’s going to be able to figure it out on his own,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “He’s a step or two ahead of most guys on the floor, in my opinion.”

Those basketball smarts are why Malone showed so much trust in Jokic a year ago even though his rookie was breaking into pro ball at age 20. Jokic’s most eye-opening moment a season ago came when he had 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes off the bench against the Spurs in San Antonio last December.

The Nuggets lost that game, but Malone gained a new respect for a player he was fast gaining confidence in. Soon after, Malone made Jokic a regular in his rotation, which led to Jokic being selected first-team all-rookie after averaging 9.9 points, 7 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

This season, however, figures to be different. Jokic was asked to fit in last season. This season the Nuggets need him to stand out a bit more, look for his shot more and set teammates up more. More of the offense will run directly through him, a good sign of evolution for a young player. Look for Jokic to have his hands on the ball a lot more than a season ago.

An efficient big man

This summer, ESPN placed him second on a list of the NBA’s 20 best international players. Analytics are Jokic’s friend. If he might not always pass the eye test on the court, he aces the advanced statistics.

But the metric that matters as much as any to the Nuggets is efficiency, and Jokic was as efficient as they came last season. He owned the highest player efficiency rating on the team (21.58), tied with Toronto all-star DeMar DeRozan and second among rookies who played 20 or more minutes per game, trailing only rookie of the year Karl-Anthony Towns.

“He’s taking everyone by storm,” Barton said. “Whether it was last year during the NBA season when guys didn’t even know who he was, to him being first-team all-rookie, even getting a couple of votes for rookie of the year.”

A much bigger role

Now, the challenge is for Jokic to do it in the face of defenses geared to stop him — such as what happened when Team USA clamped down on him — and with a team needing big production on a nightly basis.

“Nikola’s a great player, but I still want him to be more aggressive,” second-year point guard Emmanuel Mudiay said. “Him being more aggressive is going to help us out a lot. That’s one thing that I’m trying to stay on him about. He’s got the skill set to do it, and he’s a good playmaker for himself and for the team. He’s just going to keep getting better and better.”

And after starting at center last season, Jokic is adding power forward to his duties. He’s expected to be the starting power forward, giving way to Jusuf Nurkic, who played his way into the starting center spot.

“It’s different, but I played a little bit of four for Serbia,” Jokic said. “It’s not that big a difference, to be honest. I like playing with Nurk. Me and him know each other and play really good together. I think it’s going to be even better.” Related Articles October 25, 2016 Preseason done, Nuggets say they are ready for regular season

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While Malone has taken steps to reduce his minutes during the preseason due to Jokic having played so much basketball during the summer — Serbia had to win a qualifying tournament to make the Olympics — Jokic insists his energy level is high.

Nevertheless, he hasn’t quite found his rhythm yet, although he did have an encouraging performance in the final exhibition game against Dallas last Friday.

“Nikola is rounding into form,” Malone said. “He’s in a good place as well, mentally. Feeling good about how he played against Dallas.”

Jokic echoed those sentiments.

“I feel pretty good, the team is feeling pretty good, I think it’s great,” he said. “My summer was really successful. I won the silver medal, and that encouraged me to be better, to work harder, to be better in the practices, to be better in the games, to improve myself.

“I’m going to accept every challenge in front of me. I’m going to accept every role the coach gives me. I’m happy and I can’t wait to start.”