In April 2021, the Denver Nuggets were thriving. Coming off a shocking run to the Western Conference Finals, the team looked poised for another deep playoff run. Then disaster struck. But after a tough couple of years, the Nuggets are back in title contention.
After that Western Conference Finals run, star point guard Jamal Murray tore his ACL, ending Denver’s title chances. And last season was more of the same. Murray did not play at all in 2021-22, and rising star Michael Porter Jr. played only nine games. Even so, superstar big man Nikola Jokić won his second straight MVP, and the Nuggets made the playoffs as the West’s sixth seed. This season, though, with a healthy roster, Denver has its sights set higher. And they should.
When healthy, the Nuggets should have the NBA’s best offense. It all starts with Jokić, the best offensive player on the planet. Jokić averaged an astounding 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 7.9 assists last season while shooting 58% from the field.
Though he’s dominant offensively, the best part of his game is getting others involved, meaning the reintroduction of Murray and Porter will only make their offense even more prolific. Without his two co-stars, Jokić still dragged the Nuggets to the sixth-best offensive rating in the league. With them, Denver should cruise to a top-three offense.
While it all starts with Jokić, Murray and Porter Jr. will need to harness their pre-injury form, too. In the bubble, Murray looked like a superstar in his own right — he averaged 26.5 points and 6.6 assists while shooting 51% from the field and 45% from three during the 2020 playoffs. Porter Jr. is not as proven in the playoffs, but at 6-foot-10 and with a sweet shooting stroke (41.9% career from three), he is a perfect complement to Jokic. The three of them are an unstoppable offensive force.
The defensive concerns, however, are real. None of the three are great defenders, and Murray and Porter are negatives on that end. That’s why the Denver front office has surrounded its stars with role players.
Denver brought in Aaron Gordon, a big, athletic defender capable of guarding elite wings. He is also a formidable lob threat for Jokic on offense. This offseason, Denver also added Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown Jr., perimeter defenders who fill holes on offense. The two will play essential roles taking on the more difficult matchups to hide Murray on defense.
The rotation will be rounded out by second-year scorer Bones Hyland, grizzled vet and Hoya graduate Jeff Green (COL ’12), and the ghost of DeAndre Jordan. It’s not the deepest bench in the league, but all their role players need to do is fill holes for their three offensive engines.
Now, the big question with the Nuggets is their health. Porter Jr. missed the majority of three of his last four seasons with back issues, and betting on him to play the whole season is foolish at best. Even so, they don’t need him for the regular season. Don’t be surprised if he only plays about 60 games so that he is 100% healthy come playoff time.
Then there’s the question of Murray coming off a torn ACL. He probably won’t be himself immediately, but again, he doesn’t need to be. Denver has their ironman in Jokić, who has never missed more than nine games in any season of his career, and based on last season, he’s all you need to have a playoff team. The Nuggets just need the other two in April and May, and hopefully, June.
If Murray and Porter Jr. are playing in the playoffs alongside Jokić, they should win the title. There is no team equipped to deal with their offensive firepower. Unfortunately for me and Nuggets fans, that is quite a big if, and it’s the main reason they are not closer to being the favorites to win the finals. But who cares about Vegas?
The Nuggets should be the favorites anyway. They have the best player in the world and the best offense in the league. Come back to this in June when the Nuggets are champions. Or, for the pessimists out there, when Porter Jr. misses the whole season.
Tim Brennan is a junior in the McDonough School of Business. Around the Association appears online every other week.
