Nikola Jokic's shrinking prime -- and the disconnect brewing inside the Denver Nuggets as they try to salvage it - ESPN

THE DENVER NUGGETS' franchise player sits at his locker after a preseason loss to the Phoenix Suns, alone with his thoughts.

Nikola Jokic's chronically sore right wrist is wrapped in ice, making it hard to text on his phone. He gave up social media years ago, so there's nothing to scroll through. And rarest of all, he does not have headphones in. Very little noise will be coming into — or from — the NBA's three-time most valuable player.

For 10 years, Jokic has sat at this same locker and gone about his business, rarely creating even a hint of drama. He is the kind of low-maintenance, foundational superstar that franchises dream about. He doesn't subtweet to exert leverage on the front office. He doesn't authorize whisper campaigns or have others voice frustration over the proverbial «desire to win.» He doesn't call his co-star, Jamal Murray, a «Black Swan» or a «White Swan» when he's not aggressive enough.

If he has an opinion on the tension between the Nuggets' front office and coaching staff on how best to extend his prime, he's not sharing it. «That's not my job,» Jokic said during a wide-ranging interview with ESPN. «I'm just trying to play basketball, and I'm happy if we have a chance every year.»

Everyone in Denver knows the stakes for this season. General manager Calvin Booth has said the team is five years into what the Nuggets hope is a 10-year prime for Jokic, who has done nothing so far but average a career-high 31.5 points, 12.3 rebounds and 9.3 assists in 39 minutes through four games.

The Nuggets have an ownership group that has historically avoided paying luxury taxes and a front office hard-capped by the NBA's restrictive collective bargaining agreement. They've lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce