The Denver Nuggets are still carrying some unfinished business into the rest of the offseason, but that hasn’t changed the broad outlook: they still look like a playoff team, and a pretty safe one at that.
Right now, Denver has only 11 roster spots filled. Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones are both still in restricted free agency, and the Nuggets haven’t swung any major trades to reshape the roster from where it stood at the end of last season.
So there’s plenty left to sort out before opening night in October. The rest of the dominoes will fall in time.
Even so, the bigger question is whether the current version of the Nuggets still has enough to get back to the postseason for a ninth straight year. Based on what’s already in place, the answer looks like yes.
Denver hasn’t exactly been busy this summer, but that doesn’t automatically knock it out of the West’s upper tier. In fact, keeping the core together should help the Nuggets stay in the top-six mix.
The turnover so far has been limited to rotational pieces like Tim Hardaway Jr., Jonas Valanciunas, and maybe Bruce Brown, depending on how that situation plays out. Watson and Jones remain unresolved, but Denver still controls their free agent rights for now.
That leaves the Nuggets with five of the seven players from last season’s roster still locked in for next year. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray give them two All-NBA anchors.
Aaron Gordon and Cameron Johnson are high-level starters. Christian Braun is the wild card, with next season set to tell more about where he fits.
That kind of top-end talent is enough to keep Denver in the top-six conversation all by itself. And with most of the Western Conference not making a dramatic leap forward, it’s easy to see why the Nuggets should still be positioned for another strong regular season.
There are really only two teams that look clearly ahead of them: the OKC Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs. Both are coming off 60-plus win seasons, and nothing so far suggests either is headed for a drop-off. If anything, there’s a real chance both are even better this year.
Still, Denver wasn’t far behind. The Nuggets finished last season with 54 wins, good for the first spot just behind those two teams, and they did it while dealing with heavy injury issues around the rotation. Even with that chaos, they still finished with the NBA’s number-one offense.
The teams directly behind them weren’t exactly miles away. The LA Lakers and Houston Rockets were separated from Denver by just two games, and the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves finished with 49 wins. That’s why the West’s top six still feels pretty familiar heading into next season, even if the order changes.
Unless the Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, or even the Utah Jazz make a major jump, the top six appears likely to stay intact. If one team is most likely to slide out, the Lakers would be the obvious pick.
So for Denver, the baseline is pretty clear: a top-six seed and no play-in drama. A top-five finish also looks well within reach.
The Timberwolves could land just ahead of them because of their offseason moves, and another year of growth from the Rockets could push Houston past Denver too. But with Jokic and Murray leading the way, and with better health, the Nuggets could just as easily climb back to the number-three spot.
For now, the playoff picture looks solid. The Finals picture is a different matter. That would probably take more roster changes before anyone could feel truly confident that Denver is ready to get back to the level it reached three years ago.
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Russell Westbrooks name is now back in the conversation because of that need, even after one season in Denver left a complicated ending. The Nuggets are looking at a thin backup-guard picture, and with Westbrook available again, the idea of revisiting a player few expected to circle back has become part of the discussion. [Read more 🡒]
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Nikola Jokic has reportedly been in good shape this offseason, and that alone is enough to calm some nerves in Denver after a summer that has brought more subtraction than splash. The Nuggets have added Marvin Bagley III and Tyus Jones, but they also lost Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas, leaving the front office with a thinner margin for error as it tries to keep the roster competitive around its star center.
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It comes at a time when the Nuggets have not dramatically reshaped the roster after their first-round playoff exit, even with additions like Marvin Bagley III and Tyus Jones and a few familiar veterans moving on. Jokic also spent part of last season dealing with a hyperextended left knee that cost him four weeks, so the slimmer look has naturally prompted some speculation that he may be approaching the year with a little extra attention on staying fresh. [Read more 🡒]