Denver Nuggets
To say that Denver had a breakthrough season a year ago would be a wild understatement.
2018-19 Nuggets:
Best home record 34-7.
2nd most assists.
Best opponent 3-point percentage.
Stingiest defense in fourth quarters, giving up just 24.8 points on average.
The Nuggets made it to the playoffs for the first time in five years and they did so as the #2 seed in the West, behind only the Golden State Warriors, who they battled for the top seed all season long. The Nuggets also reached the Western Conference Semis where they eventually lost Game 7 at home to Portland, which stings, but it was their first time past the 1st round since 2008-09. (Shoutout Denver Melo!)
The Denver Nuggets struck absolute pure Serbian unicorn gold with the 41st overall pick in the 2014 draft. His name is Nikola Jokic — he’s also known as The Joker, Big Honey, Rainbow Unicorn and our personal favorite, Dad-bod Weapon X.
We could describe Jokic in depth but that would be a fool’s errand given the perfections already on record at The Ringer dot com:
Chuck Mindenhall: “He looks like a 7-foot slab of Serbian mediocrity who’s nursing a cold, and he walks like he’s barely got the energy to get where he’s going, but he wins.”
Danny Chau: “He is a dough ball of contradictions. He plods with the bloated, defeated disposition of a man who just completed a beer mile, yet, because of his photographic memory and almost supernatural ball placement on outlet passes, he can create a scoring possession quicker than just about anyone.”
Tyler Parker: “His arms always look like they’ve just been slapped. Sometimes they’re the color of ham. I mean that as a compliment. This too: He could probably hoop in blue jeans and boots and be just as effective. He could probably show up to your local rec league in a pair of Levi’s 501s and cowboy boots and put up a 40/13/11 line in 18 minutes. He’d stay after to complain to the staff that the court was too dirty and his shoes couldn’t get the kind of grip he desires. After that he’d probably just go to Wendy’s, eat five Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers, hang out by the fountain drinks, try to make people laugh.”
“There may not be a player in the league with softer hands. There may not be a player in the league with better touch around the rim. He can turn over either shoulder and finish with either hand. He can get a defensive rebound, shotgun it, and lead the break. He can methodically back somebody down and drop a hook in over their head. He can post somebody up, draw a double, and get an assist. He can shoot a jumper over someone smaller. He can go around bigs who try to press up on him. He can bang. He can step out and hit the 3. He’ll take and make floaters and fadeaways and go behind his back in a crowd three different times. I have to assume he’s right-brained, fearless, and arrogant as hell.”
“There’s a performer’s streak in him. He’s a comedian. Elements of Joakim Noah, Brad Miller, Papa Sabonis, Kings-era Chris Webber, the Brothers Gasol, and Vlade Divac. Sometimes, if you squint, there’s a little Yao in the mix. Still, there’s a first time for everything and Jokic is very much a one of one.”
The team surrounding Jokic will essentially be the same exact roster from last year, plus the addition of Jerami Grant, an excellent wing defender coming off his best season to date.
The other potential star is Jamal Murray who got paid this summer. Murray signed the rookie-max extension that will pay him in the future to the sweet tune of $170M over five years. The ultimate ceiling that the Nuggets can reach might actually be in the hands of Murray. For that kind of money, Denver needs him to continue his progression and to find consistent crunch-time scoring when the game slows all the way down.
We suggest making sure the ball is in the hands of Big Honey.
League Pass Notes
Nikola Jokic (see above)
Jamaal Murray is a heat check guy not afraid to let it rip and let his Blue Arrow fly.
Jerami Grant, capable power dunker.
Getting to see Michael Porter Jr. actually play basketball will be like seeing a mythical creature in the forest. The Bol Bol experiment should be equally as fascinating.
Michael Malone is both fierce and funny and sometimes at the exact same time.
The Final Questions / The Final Take
Can Paul Millsap, Gary Harris and Will Barton stay healthy? Millsap is trending in the right direction having played 70 games last year (only 38 the year before), and Denver is fortunate to have enough depth to keep rolling if injuries are an issue to their important role players.
Can Malik Beasley and Monte Morris both average above 40 percent from 3 again as they did last year? This was an underrated key to Denver’s success. That type of marksmanship off the bench is lethal.
While all of the other legit West contenders will have to adjust to mixing in new players, the continuity that the Nuggets rode to 54 wins a year ago should flow from the jump.
That said, expect teams to not take the Nuggs as lightly this year. Denver is built more for the regular season than the playoffs due to their lack of Top Tier 1A Pyramid Superstar. But you best believe that The Joker is knocking on that door. OVER 50.5 wins.