![]() Of course, there's a reason for that beyond basketball. No one has won three in a row since Larry Bird in the 1980s. Winning a third likely isn't either, but it would be incredibly significant from a historical standpoint. Jokic has made it perfectly clear over the past two seasons that winning the MVP isn't especially important to him. Will Malone split his time between forward and center? Or is he committed to Nnaji as a second-unit center? One more thing: History in the making? He's also slightly undersized for the center position and a somewhat risky play in certain matchups. He's a better player than Jordan by leaps and bounds right now. Does Michael Malone stagger Murray and Jokic, or tether them together and let Hyland go wild when he plays without either of them? History suggests he'll lean toward the latter. Finding shot attempts for Hyland was easy last season on a roster desperate for points. At this moment, it appears as though they will be the primary backups to Jokic and Murray, not insignificant roles, especially in Hyland's case due to the time Murray will likely miss as he ramps back up to NBA speed. The point guard situation is a bit more complicated, especially with Smith coming back in the deal.īut what Denver is signaling with those moves is faith in two youngsters in particular: walking bucket Bones Hyland and versatile forward Zeke Nnaji. Jordan proved last season that he is largely unplayable at this stage of his career. They chose not to sign a veteran point guard in free agency after dealing Morris to Washington, and they chose to sign DeAndre Jordan as their only veteran backup center. The Nuggets made two somewhat peculiar moves this offseason. If they do? Jokic's otherworldly offense can take them over the top. This is a roster that should be able to get to pretty good on that end of the floor. Porter spent last season rehabbing, but age tends to help players defensively. Aaron Gordon remains in place as the designated wing stopper. Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope may be the two best defensive guards he's ever had alongside him. Pretty good will suffice - though that will have to rise to that level since they haven't been pretty good on that side of the floor in the last two postseasons.īut this year's roster is better equipped to protect Jokic defensively versus any he's had in his career. The Nuggets are going to be so good offensively with Murray and Porter back that they simply don't need to be a great defense. It must be noted that Jokic didn't have a healthy supporting cast in recent playoff losses to Phoenix and Golden State. It just so happens that those opponents tend to be the sort of teams that will be waiting for Denver in May and June. He has specific, stylistic weaknesses that are likelier to come up against certain types of opponents. None of this is meant to suggest that you can't build a championship-caliber defense around Jokic. And then the spring arrives and some team with multiple star guards puts him in a blender for two weeks and the Nuggets are eliminated. A number of different analytics support that case. The Nuggets slightly outperform our expectations, and it is frequently remarked how underrated Jokic, specifically, is defensively. We enter wondering how high any team's defensive ceiling can be with Jokic at center. Drafted Peyton Watson and Christian Braun.Įvery Nuggets season tends to follow the same cycle.Signed Bruce Brown and DeAndre Jordan in free agency.Acquired Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith via trade with the Washington Wizards by dealing Monte Morris and Will Barton.(played only nine games in the 2021-22 season) will return from injuries. Jamal Murray (missed the 2021-22 season) and Michael Porter Jr.It's time for the Nuggets to compete for the championship, and here's what you need to know as they try to do so. ![]() They've shored up the defense, stocked the bench with promising youngsters and endured countless playoff battles. They have the two-time reigning MVP in Nikola Jokic along with his deputies in Murray and Michael Porter Jr. The Nuggets have a contending roster here and now. And then, Jamal Murray tore his ACL in April 2021 and another 18-month wait ensued. ![]() With another year of experience, they pushed forward to the Western Conference finals in the Orlando bubble before falling short against the older, more experienced Lakers. The 2019 group broke through and made the playoffs, but lost in seven games to Portland in the second round. The 2018 team lost what amounted to a play-in game in the regular-season finale against Minnesota, but the promise of a future winner was there. There's been a seemingly endless "wait until next year!" feeling attached to the Denver Nuggets of late.
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