In the weeks following Michael Malone's late-season firing from the Denver Nuggets, we've seen glimpses of Nikola Jokić clearly taking on a more vocal player-coaching role with his teammates. Interim head coach David Adelman's steady approach to asking Nuggets players to take more of a personal responsibility for their play has likely resonated with the three-time MVP the most of all.

Nikola Jokic has been unleashed since the Nuggets fired Michael Malone with a handful of games before the NBA playoffs.

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone was the fourth-longest tenured head coach in the league and the winningest coach in Nuggets franchise history when he was fired on April 8, with just three