Nikola Jokic 'doesn't remember' 2020 Western Conference finals

The Lakers and Nuggets met in the Conference finals in 2020, a series that Los Angeles won in four games. Jokic was likely being facetious about not remembering the series — maybe he blocked out the unpleasant memory of defeat — but the Lakers also have a very different roster in 2023.

Only James and Anthony Davis remain from the 2020 championship team. The Laker who played the third-most minutes, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, is now starting for the Nuggets. 

Los Angeles has seven players that weren't on their team in mid-January, let alone 2020, while the Nuggets have two backup centers who were Lakers the last two years — DeAndre Jordan and Thomas Bryant.

Denver has only three players left from that 2020 team — Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter, Jr. It certainly says something about the amount of player movement in the NBA when a Conference finals rematch has only five players returning from three years ago. 

By contrast, the Miami Heat have six players remaining from 2020, though Udonis Haslem and Gabe Vincent didn't play in that series with Boston. 

What's one lesson Jokic may have learned from that series? Don't bring in Mason Plumlee to guard Anthony Davis.

Another takeaway from that series? Jokic can't get into foul trouble, as he did in three of Denver's losses. As a result, Jokic only averaged 33.4 minutes in the series. He doesn't have to remember the games, but he needs to remember not to reach on AD or James.

Nuggets-Lakers tips off Tuesday night. Perhaps this one will be more memorable for Jokic.