Nikola Jokic couldn’t take his attention away from the NBA championship trophy on his arm.

The Denver Nuggets center gazed and stared at the list of teams inscribed on the gleaming gold trophy before it hit him.

“They didn’t put our name on here,” he said at media day on Monday.

Actually, it was — right in front of Jokic, where he couldn’t see anything.

Despite losing senior leader/sixth-man Bruce Brown in free agency, the two-time NBA MVP and the Nuggets see a clear road to repeating.

That is, of course, assuming they can avoid one thing: complacency.

“No one cares what you did last season,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone, whose team won the NBA title in five games over Miami. “We were successful at the time. But that moment has passed. We have a fresh opportunity and a new challenge ahead of us.”

The Nuggets expect Jokic to be his usual triple-double self

The Nuggets had a great summer after winning the franchise’s first NBA championship. Before dispersing for the offseason, there were parades and festivities.

Jokic returned to Sombor, Serbia, and did a little bit of everything. He was shown doing flips off a rubber raft into a river, dancing at a party with family and friends, hanging out with Aaron Gordon, who paid him a visit, and watching his favorite horses race.

Is there any way I can get my hands on a basketball?

“A couple of times,” Jokic admitted. “Not much.”

“No, he didn’t,” point guard Jamal Murray mocked.

The team simply believes Jokic will be his triple-double self this season. In the postseason, he averaged 30 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists on his way to being named Finals MVP. It more than made up for his loss to Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid in his attempt for a third straight NBA MVP.

“I never tell Nikola to go home and work on a lefty jump hook,” Malone stated. “The greatest challenge for Nikola is to continue to find ways to be a leader and to be more vocal.”

The NBA’s environment changed considerably just before training camps began, with several huge players being moved. Damian Lillard has joined Milwaukee, while Jrue Holiday has joined Boston. Justin Holiday, Holiday’s older brother who plays for the Nuggets, said their father texted them.

“Something along the lines of, ‘I’m excited for you.'” Congrats. “You’re all going to win a championship,” Justin Holiday laughed. “I was like, ‘Hold on.'” I mean, I’m happy for him, but…”

Brown’s departure has left a vacuum for the Nuggets, who inked a two-year, $45 million contract with the Indiana Pacers. Christian Braun’s minutes will increase following his solid play as a rookie last season. Reggie Jackson, a seasoned guard, will do the same. The team also lost Jeff Green and Ish Smith as leaders.

“I think right now, a lot of teams view the league, quite frankly, as wide open,” general manager Calvin Booth said. “We’re going to be hunted — can we still have a hunter’s mindset?”

Murray firmly believes this. So does Michael Porter Jr., who noted that Denver won despite Murray’s (knee) and Porter’s (back) rehabilitating for the majority of last season.

“To have this summer to make some steps has been amazing,” Porter stated.

Murray improved his postseason performance, averaging 26.1 points and 7.1 assists.

Next, take it through an entire season and achieve All-Star honors, something Malone believes Murray is capable of.

It would be nice, but becoming an All-Star isn’t high on his priorities list.

“I’d rather be a champion,” remarked Murray. “A lot of guys are All-Stars, but not champions.”