The Denver Nuggets emerged from the NBA wilderness to win their first championship. The Nuggets earned the number one seed in the West and made quick work of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Their dismantling of the Phoenix Suns cost head coach Monty Williams his job (until Williams upended the coaching market) and perhaps ended future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul’s championship chances. In consecutive playoff series, the Nuggets chopped down the trees that are future Hall-of-Famers LeBron James and Eric Spoelstra and had only one loss to show for it.
But if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? The Heat-Nuggets Finals was the fifth least-watched Finals since the mid-80s. No one mentioned the Nuggets as a threat to win it all until they swept the Lakers in the conference finals. Already there is more enthusiasm for the coming of Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama rather than a Nuggets repeat. How do the Denver Nuggets overcome the collective shrug from the NBA audience and repeat as champions?
Denver Nuggets Image Issue
The face of the Nuggets franchise is two-time NBA MVP and current Finals MVP Nikola Jokic. Jokic is a charismatic center from Serbia with a flair to his game, unlike most players his size. Yet, while he spent the 82-game regular season racking up triple-doubles, the national tv audience checked out. The Nuggets were on national TV an underwhelming 16 times during the 2022-23 season. Due to a regional network dispute, many locals can’t even watch their team play. This has been an issue since before the pandemic. Some NBA analysts admitted to having never watched Nikola Jokic play before this year’s playoffs.
Head coach Mike Malone had a golden opportunity to champion the Nuggets’ culture during the Lakers-Nuggets conference finals rematch from the 2020 Bubble, but he failed. Malone sounded like he focused on the media-darling Lakers just as much as everyone else.
“The national narrative [after Game 1] was that the Lakers were fine. … No one talked about Nikola just had a historic performance. … The narrative wasn’t about the Nuggets.”
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 19, 2023
– Nuggets HC Michael Malone pic.twitter.com/zUSjByjZMf
Nikola Jokic, immediately after reaching the pinnacle of his career, made multiple references to wanting to go home to Serbia. Jokic balked when he found out that the championship parade was scheduled four days after the NBA Finals victory. His seemingly flippant behavior towards the sport’s highest honor upset many people.
The Nuggets’ championship path included a 7th seed and two 8th seeds. Fans saw that as an easy (some say boring) route. The other elite teams in the league still want their crack at them.
Why Care About the Denver Nuggets
Star guard Jamal Murray overcame a torn ACL and a lost season last year to play his best basketball in this year’s NBA playoff. The seven-year veteran is a future All-Star in this league (Yep, he has never made the All-Star team).
Michael Porter Jr. is a young forward with his share of hecklers and naysayers throughout his five-year career. Porter Jr. missed his entire rookie season and only played nine games last year due to injury. When healthy, he is one of the best three-point shooters in the league- special at 6’10”.
Imagine if Murray and Porter Jr. have healthy seasons over the next few years. Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are also under contract. The momentum from this championship is unquantifiable because the Nuggets have a player that no one in the league matches up with. Nikola Jokic.
Jokic proved that having a big man is essential to winning again. The days of the Golden State Warriors winning with 6’6” Draymond Green as the primary paint protector are over. A passing Jokic is even more deadly than a scoring Jokic. This means he can take over a game in more ways than any center in NBA history. Everyone on the court is a threat to score when Jokic has the ball in his hand. Primarily because he pulls your largest defender away from the rest of the defense. Most teams trying to keep pace with the Warriors dynasty were masquerading small forwards and power forwards as their backup centers. Positionless basketball can no longer exist if a center (or two) is mandatory on the court.
Denver Nuggets Offseason Goals
The forward-thinking Nuggets front office has already moved to shore up the current draft capital. In the NBA Draft a few weeks ago, the Nuggets drafted Julian Strawther from Gonzaga, Jalen Pickett from Penn State, and Hunter Tyson from Clemson. There is your depth on cheap contracts.
The continued development of now second-year player and back-to-back champion Christian Braun is the highest off-season priority.
Bruce Brown is a terrific player but mostly expendable. Many veteran players will now consider coming to Denver on a discount to play with the unselfish Jokic and Murray. Brown will get a bag this free agency. It’s a win-win for both parties.
Jokic, Murray, Gordon, and Porter Jr. are all in their mid-twenties. This should be a scary proposition. Dismiss them at your peril.
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1 Comment
The NBA better take notice because they could win the West again easily rather they are the one or two seed.