NBA bubble update: Jokic ready to join Denver and Lillard questions if players can stick to protocol in Orlando

The calendar has officially hit July – better known as the month the NBA will return.

Last week, the league announced that 16 players had tested positive for COVID-19, as tests was administered to all 302 players who are headed to the Orlando bubble.

One of the players who tested positive was Denver Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic.

Reporting with @WindhorstESPN: Nuggets star Nikola Jokic tested positive for the coronavirus in Serbia and his return to the U.S. is temporarily delayed. He’s been asymptomatic since testing positive last week. Jokic is expected to be cleared to travel to Denver within a week.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 23, 2020

But even with the positive test, Jokic won’t be deterred from joining his team for the remainder of the season, according to the Denver Post.

Nuggets head coach Mike Malone said that the organization is still working to get Jokic back into the United States – he’s currently in his home country of Serbia – but Malone is hopeful he will join the team on their flight to Orlando next week.

“The hope and expectation is that Nikola Jokic will be with us on that plane as we head down to Orlando… From everything I’ve heard and talked to him, he feels great. He feels fine and is excited to get back.”

Nuggets coach Michael Malone said the team is “working on getting” Nikola Jokic back in the country and is hopeful their franchise player will be with the team when it departs for Orlando next Tuesday. https://t.co/5iq2f9Qr19 by @msinger

— Denver Post Sports (@DPostSports) July 2, 2020

Jokic aside, it’s been a week since the NBA first tested all the players headed to Orlando, and Thursday, the league announced that nine more players tested positive for the coronavirus in addition to the original 16.

Nine more players have tested positive for COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/544OI8jOWQ

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 2, 2020

Among those nine players are Brooklyn Nets center Deandre Jordan and guard Spencer Dinwiddie.

Two Brooklyn Nets have tested positive for the coronavirus — Jordan and Spencer Dinwiddie. Jordan has opted-out of Orlando, and Dinwiddie is strongly considering the same. Nets will sign a substitute for Jordan, per sources. Nets are presently the seventh seed in East.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2020

Jordan took to Twitter this week to announce that he will not arrive in Orlando for the restart of the 2019-20 season.

Found out last night and confirmed again today that I’ve tested positive for Covid while being back in market. As a result of this, I will not be in Orlando for the resumption of the season.

— DeAndre Jordan (@DeAndre) June 30, 2020

While Dinwiddie is still keeping his options open while recovering from the virus.

Just to be clear I haven’t opted out and want to play like I told @ShamsCharania. Unfortunately I have been one of the cases that has various symptoms. https://t.co/sgr7s3eQZx

— Spencer Dinwiddie (@SDinwiddie_25) June 30, 2020

The Nets were already facing an uphill battle when play resumed in Orlando due to Kyrie Irving‘s absence (shoulder surgery), as well as the absence of Kevin Durant, who is still recovering from an Achilles tear.

On top of that, forwards Wilson Chandler and rookie Nicolas Claxton have also opted out of finishing the season.

Brooklyn Nets players who won’t be in the Orlando bubble:

• Kevin Durant
• Kyrie Irving
• DeAndre Jordan
• Wilson Chandler
• Nicolas Claxton

Still waiting for confirmation from Spencer Dinwiddie, but very unlikely he plays. #Nets

— Anthony Puccio (@APOOCH) June 30, 2020

The total number of players and staffers that have tested positive for the virus league-wide is 35 out of 1,235 people tested, which equals 2.8% of the Orlando bubble population.

On top of the positive tests, Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard made headlines on Thursday when he expressed skepticism that the players and staffers in Orlando would completely adhere to the rules put in place in the bubble.

Damian Lillard on his confidence in players following all the protocols of the bubble: “My confidence ain’t great. Because you’re telling me you’re gonna have 22 teams full of players following all the rules? When we have 100% freedom everybody don’t follow all the rules.”

— Royce Young (@royceyoung) July 1, 2020

However, while Lillard is worried about some of the other guys, he’s already got his plans to stay busy figured out.

Portland star @Dame_Lillard told our NBA Insider @ShamsCharania he is setting up his recording studio in his room in the Orlando bubble. pic.twitter.com/chtXOYmZLO

— Stadium (@Stadium) July 1, 2020

There are still key pieces of contending teams who remain undecided on whether they will play in Orlando not, most notably Dwight Howard of the Los Angeles Lakers and Lou Williams of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Regardless of which individual players are torn on whether to return, teams have started gearing up for the resumption of play, with July 1 marking the return of mandatory individual workouts throughout the NBA.