Denver Nuggets
The 2021-22 Denver Nuggets can be defined by finishing 6th place in the Western Conference despite not having Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. for the entire season.
What did we learn?
Nikola Jokic not only replicated his uncanny incandescent-ness from his 2020-21 MVP season, but he was even better this time around, earning the MVP award once again.
Tasked with carrying a team without its undoubted 2nd- and 3rd-best players (both on max contracts) — no problem for the Joker.
At this point, we have come to expect greatness from Jokic on a nightly basis. And yet, he continues to wow us time and time again, slangin’ those hilarious dimes and knocking down all of those moonshots. Jokic still loves to make it look like there is no way that something will become of a particular possession that appears to have gone south in a hurry. But then somehow, some way, the Joker will turn it into a basket for him or a teammate. And he still loves to make everything look so nonchalant, a casual elegance that’s so damn delightful.
There was, however, the Markieff Morris incident. Jokic struck Morris from behind in retaliation to an unnecessary hard foul in the open court. (Morris would miss the next four months with a neck injury.) It was another peak behind the curtain at The Evil Joker looming around the next bend. But this is Big Honey we are talking about. Even so, it’s a sharp reminder to the league that this, this right here, is not somebody to fuck with. It doesn’t matter how goofy or silly Jokic can be, this is the two-time MVP who is always ready to rumble.
Now the Joker just needs his #2 for the Jokic-Murray two-man game, and his #3 in MPJ to really open things up.
In their absence, Aaron Gordon had his best season yet, a definite benefit from playing alongside the MVP. Gordon averaged the second-most points for the Nuggets, often the #2 scoring option after he was traded to be their #4.
A big shout out to Bones Hyland! A ready-made contributor from the jump. It took Michael Malone a little while to jump on board and play him real rotation minutes, but it was only a matter of time. Bones was sensational in the month of March, averaging 14.7 points per game in 22 minutes off the bench with shooting 47.6 percent from 3 on 5.5 attempts per game.
Facu Campazzo joined Jokic in constantly lighting up the highlight reels with his passing. Campazzo and Jokic are a helluva passing duo, offering up dazzling dimes night in and night out.
Will Barton and Monte Morris deserve some love for being Denver mainstays for years now. Morris averaged career-best numbers across the board. Barton was right there, too, playing at the top of his game. And Austin Rivers definitely gets a mention for that game-saving defensive play against the Warriors in the first round to help prevent the sweep.
Okay, back to Jokic:
The Joker had 39 games this season leading the Nuggets in points, rebounds and assists. (That’s in over half of the 74 games that he played.)
Jokic led the league in total rebounds. He led the league in triple-doubles with 19. Jokic was even top 10 in total steals!
Somehow, he was even more efficient this season than last. The advanced numbers were NUTTY, singing his praises with the force of a thousand-man opera. (Even Draymond was lavish in his praise.)
Jokic’s real-plus minus was the highest ever recorded in ESPN’s database (going back to 1996-97). Even higher than Steph’s 2015-16 unanimous MVP season.
Without Jamal Murray and MPJ, the Nuggets really had no business being 14 games over .500 and the 6 seed.
But then again…
Anything is possible with Jokic.
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Additional Notes
When we saw Michael Porter Jr.’s massive contract extension before the season, we thought for sure there would be some disclaimers in the fine print in relation to his back-injury history. But that doesn’t appear to be the case, and the Nuggets are on the hook for a guaranteed $145 million. Here’s to hoping he can get back to anywhere close to the same level he reached over the last month of the 2020-21 season after undergoing yet another back surgery this season.
When Bones and Rivers were out due to the protocols, Zeke Nnaji was the latest Nugget to step up to the plate, scoring a career-high 21 points against the Knicks on a random Saturday afternoon in December. Nnaji was another Nugget who had an injury that plagued his season, dealing with a knee that kept him out most of the last two months.
Speaking of injury-plagued seasons, PJ Dozier tore his ACL in November. People forget about that.
Shout out to Jeff Green — Uncle Jeff still out here throwing down power dunks at age 35!
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Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?
Don’t forget who we got to see at the very tail end of that Suns series: The Evil Joker. Over 47.5 wins.
Nuggets 2021-22 record: (48-34)
Yes! The Nuggets hit the Over on the second to last game of the season.
(Evil Joker made another appearance this season, although in a much more serious capacity.)
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What’s Next?
The #21 pick in the draft. The Nuggets first draft without Tim Connelly since 2012. 10 years!
Get Jamal Murray and MPJ healthy and back on the court.
Sign Jokic to the Supermax.
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Favorite Nuggets Highlights of the 2021-22 Season:
The best part of this reel is hearing all of the announcers say, “What a pass!”
Also:
“He still loves to make everything look so nonchalant, a casual elegance that’s so damn delightful. ”
