Nikola Jokic’s historic career has been characterized in part by the Nuggets’ painstaking, ongoing search for his backup — a center capable of holding down the fort when he’s not playing. This summer, that search led them to a trade with the Kings: Dario Saric to Sacramento, Jonas Valanciunas to Denver . As Valanciunas prepares for the most thankless job in the NBA, here’s a look back at the precedent of failure he’s trying to break.

Dec. 15, 2016: Jokic usurps Nurkic

Jusuf Nurkic became Jokic’s first backup center in unceremonious fashion, getting benched by Michael Malone 25 games into his third season.

That decision has aged, uh, pretty gracefully. But at the time, it sparked tension between Nurkic and the Nuggets. Drafted 16th overall on the same night Denver selected Jokic 41st o

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