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Jeff Legwold, ESPN Senior Writer
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – Few words crank up folks in and around Denver like “joker.’’
Nikola Jokic, a two-time NBA MVP and reigning NBA Finals MVP, just led the Nuggets to the franchise’s first championship and has the nickname. Of all the words Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton said during the team’s offseason program, when he dropped “joker’’ and tight end Greg Dulcich in the same sentence it may have been one of the most important nuggets of the no-pads season.
“He’s got unique skill set, and he’s got traits in the passing game,’’ Payton said of Dulcich. “We use the term joker, where we can get matchups.’’
Long before the Nuggets made Jokic the 41st pick of the NBA draft during the Taco Bell commercial, Payton has favored a role in his offense for a player with multifaceted skills.
A player who could run a variety of pass routes, stress different parts of the field and run with purpose once he had the ball in his hands. To this point, however, the players who have succeeded the most in that role through the years have been running backs.
Payton has seen the likes of Darren Sproles, Reggie Bush and, most recently, Alvin Kamara, flourish as the joker in the offense. Kamara had four 80-catch seasons for Payton, three seasons with at least 13 total touchdowns and two with at least 18 total touchdowns.