The Denver Nuggets were on top of the basketball world a year ago. They won their first-ever NBA championship with the best player in the world, Nikola Jokic. Jokic dominated LeBron James and the LA Lakers in the Western Conference Finals and then throttled the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. With an average roster age of 26.5 years old, it felt like an emerging mile-high dynasty. They lost a few players on the margins (Jeff Green and Bruce Brown) but followed with a top-seeded regular season (tied for first). The Denver Nuggets’ shock playoff dismissal by the Minnesota Timberwolves opens the door for many questions. Namely… should the Denver Nuggets worry this coming season?
Nuggets of Concern
The 2020 Lakers won during a pandemic, and the 2021 Bucks won a truncated COVID-filled follow-up season. The 2022 Warriors felt like the last hurrah from a former dynasty. The 2023 Denver Nuggets felt different. Bubble Jamal Murray returned to form, and Michael Porter Jr. played a mostly healthy season. It felt like Jokic had been stamped certified by some of the best players in league history. A repeat champion for the first time in half a decade felt inevitable.
Hindsight says the distress signals were always there. Murray missed a good chunk of the 2023-2024 season. Enough to miss out on All-Star yet again (Jamal Murray has never made an All-Star team). Hope for internal development saw their star young rookie Christian Braun turn in a sophomore season of 7 points per game. Jokic played in 79 out of 82 games to cope with the lack of depth. Stockpiling a third NBA MVP in four years looks nice today, but zooming out tells us that the wear and tear will add up. Nikola Jokic also played all summer, collecting an Olympic bronze medal for his efforts.
The Nuggets did not have an NBA Draft pick this summer, so reloading younger is not an option. They are who they are, but we don’t know if that is enough anymore.
Mile-High Competition
The competition in the West is as stiff as ever. Teams have had four years since Jokic won his first MVP to load up their rosters against him. The Minnesota Timberwolves, a division rival led by young superstar Anthony Edwards, stacked star centers on their roster. This proved effective as they eliminated the Denver Nuggets in last season’s playoffs.
The Oklahoma City Thunder is a division rival that counters the Nuggets roster with depth. The Thunder sport one of the youngest rosters in the league with enough future draft picks that they could afford a rehab year for this year’s lottery pick (Nikola Topic was selected 12th overall in the NBA Draft and will miss next season for the Thunder). The wave of players the Thunder dishes out, including MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, devastates opponents. Depth also insulates the Thunder roster against injury disruptions.
Many other contenders are chomping to test their meddle against Denver. The Lakers, Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks, and others will all be heard from. Additionally, the West is loaded with talent at Jokic’s position (Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Davis, Alperen Sengun, etc.). The competition is Mile-High.
Pocket of Nuggety Goodness
There are some potential bright spots to look forward to. Michael Porter Jr. played 81 games last season, which is a miracle given his injury history. A healthy offseason could unlock new levels in his game.
Former MVP Russell Westbrook was the one significant addition to the roster this offseason. Look for Westbrook to help counter some of the scoring lulls when Nikola Jokic takes the bench. The hope is that Westbrook is a net positive for a minimum salary.
Home court advantage is real. The Denver Nuggets ranked sixth in the NBA in attendance last season and had the second-best home record in the league.
And, of course, they have Jokic. Winner of three NBA MVPs and one NBA Finals MVP since 2021. Team USA dragged former NBA MVP Joel Embiid onto the roster to counter Jokic in a tight Olympic matchup. Despite the Boston Celtics championship victory, the road to glory still runs a mile high.
Jokic really be acting different when he not on U.S. soil 😂😂pic.twitter.com/aEtGBPx2F1
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) August 24, 2024
Distractions
Porter Jr.’s major family issues were a minor distraction during the playoffs. After a whole offseason, does MPJ return mentally ready to play? Jamal Murray’s poor summer play will lead to questions during training camp set to begin a few weeks. Coach Malone will field questions about Jokic’s mileage, the loss of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency (Orlando Magic), and the integration of Westbrook. Should the Denver Nuggets be worried this upcoming season?
Jamal Murray in the Olympics so far:
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 2, 2024
5.7 PPG
33% FG
10% 3PT
(h/t @StadiumLiveApp ) pic.twitter.com/XRZv8TEL81
I would be. Reinforcements are necessary to maintain a spot on the mountaintop. Denver has a lot of mountains but few reinforcements on the horizon. Any hiccup with Jokic’s health or Murray’s play could upend what was once a burgeoning dynasty. Perhaps this era of NBA is much like the 1970s era when dynasties fell out of existence (the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is partly responsible for that). Time will tell. Expect the competition to be fierce as the 2025 NBA championship race appears wide open.
Photo Credit for featured cover image: Getty Images.
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1 Comment
I agree! The West will be wide open once again. Denver definitely has its work cut out for them.