Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic may have avoided a catastrophic injury when he hyperextended his left knee against the Miami Heat on Monday, but his absence of at least four weeks is sure to turn Denver and the Western Conference on their heads.
The Nuggets (22-10 and third in the conference) are now down four starters, which means the next month or so could get ugly for a roster with the most promise since the title season.
With that being said, let's go through how the three-time MVP's absence could affect these top teams in the West.
MORE: Why knee injury dashes Nikola Jokic's MVP chances
Oklahoma City Thunder (28-5, 1st in West)
The rest of the Western Conference may have been in a race for second place all along, but what this injury does for the Thunder only diminishes any threat of a team dethroning them for the top seed (unless San Antonio goes on an unprecedented run to close the season).
The only downside of Jokic's injury? The Nuggets could fall so far down that Oklahoma City winds up having them on their side of the playoff bracket, having to go through Jokic and a team that gave the Thunder their best fight en route to last season's title before even reaching the conference finals.
San Antonio Spurs (23-9, 2nd in West)
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The door is wide open for the young, surging Spurs to announce their welcome a season or two earlier than expected.
Winners of eight of its last 10 games, San Antonio put the league on notice by toppling the defending champion Thunder three times in 12 days; once at home, once on the road and once at a neutral site in the Emirates NBA Cup semifinals.
San Antonio's closest competition for the second seed is a Houston team that sits two games behind them in the standings and a Lakers team that may very well be worse than their record shows.
Oklahoma City's biggest threat may meet it in the conference finals this season.
MORE: Mitch Johnson feels the San Antonio Spurs' healthy roster needs more time to mesh
Los Angeles Lakers (20-10, 5th in West)
Los Angeles' ceiling this season is quite unclear. Currently embattled in defensive and rotational issues, where the Nuggets finish in the standings after Jokic's injury is far from the Lakers' most pressing thoughts at this point in the season. But the door for the second seed opening even slightly more is nothing to turn away from.
The best-case scenario for Luka Doncic and Los Angeles to make a run in the playoffs is if the Thunder and Nuggets find themselves on the opposite side of the bracket, tearing each other apart in seven games before one of them reaches the conference finals.
The second seed should be the goal, especially if Jokic's absence sends Denver plummeting down the standings.
Phoenix Suns (19-13, 7th in West)
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The Valley is home to one of the most surprising teams in the NBA. The Suns are outperforming every projection they had entering the season.
So what does this injury mean for Phoenix?
It's hard to tell just how far Denver will fall in the standings while Jokic misses time, what with the generational center being the single most valuable player of his era, but if Denver truly spirals, it could mean Phoenix avoids the play-in. (Imagine Jokic having to will his team from the play-in?)
The Suns will continue to surprise the league. Avoiding the play-in will only be the icing on the cake.
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