In the wake of the Denver Nuggets' unexpected front-office shakeup, franchise cornerstone Nikola Jokic has offered an interesting perspective on the team's current state. Following the dismissals of head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth, Jokic suggests the Nuggets might have found some new motivation for the season.

“I think Josh [Kroenke] got the response that he wanted,” Jokic said after the Nuggets' 124-116 victory over the Sacramento Kings. “People say we are vulnerable, but the beast is always most dangerous when they're vulnerable. So maybe he woke up the beast.”

Nuggets get back in win column under interim head coach

In the Nuggets' win over the Kings, the three-time MVP recorded his 32nd triple-double of the season with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. The victory, which came under interim head coach David Adelman, snapped a four-game losing streak.

“They woke us up. We need to be woken up before the playoffs,” Jokic said via ESPN after the game. “I think when we are in there, we can, we can mess things up, you know, we can. We can fight and play with everybody.”

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Jokic didn't brush off the significance of Malone's dismissal, however. Malone, who was the Nuggets head coach for 10 years, was the only head coach Jokic has had in the NBA.

Despite Malone's dismissal being a very difficult decision made by the team, Jokic maintained a professional outlook on the situation.

“Where I come from, it's part of the sport. People come and go,” said Jokic “It was 10 years with the coach, and we went through everything. We were bad, we won a championship. We have some great memories. But, you know, it's, it's part of the business.”

With the win, Denver improved to 48-32, tying the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 4 playoff seed in the Western Conference with just two regular-season games remaining. Even with the recent turbulence in the organization, the Nuggets still have the sixth-highest odds (+3000) to win the title.

The team appears determined to avoid the Play-In Tournament and salvage what has been quite the rollercoaster season. And as the playoffs grow near, Jokic and the Nuggets will look to channel this “beast” mentality into some postseason success.