Nuggets' Nikola Jokic: Will open season as starting power forward

Coach Michael Malone confirmed Friday that Jokic would open the season as the Nuggets' starting power forward, Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post reports.

Analysis:

Jokic and Kenneth Faried entered training camp as the prohibitive favorites to start at the two frontcourt spots, but Jusuf Nurkic, who was limited throughout most of last season following his return from knee surgery, was the team's top big man during the preseason and pushed his way into the conversation for a spot on the top unit. The Nuggets will now deploy Faried in a high-energy role off the bench, allowing Malone to open games with a supersized lineup of Nurkic and Jokic. While both are natural centers, Jokic does offer some range from the outside, which has allowed him and Nurkic to coexist on the offensive end. There will be more issues for the Nuggets to deal with defensively, but it's unlikely to affect Jokic's playing time in a dramatic way as he looks to follow up a fabulous rookie season. Jokic profiles as a potential top-50 asset in most fantasy leagues.