The Denver Nuggets keep getting treated like a team that needs proving, even though the roster around Nikola Jokic has already shown plenty. Jokic enters NBA 2K27 with a league-high 97 rating, but a few of his best teammates are sitting lower than their production suggests.
Jamal Murray is the first obvious eyebrow-raiser. After opening NBA 2K26 at an 86 overall and eventually climbing to 91 during the 2025-26 season, he’s back under 90 to start this year at 89.
That’s a tough sell for a player who averaged 25.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists last season while shooting 48.3% from the field and 43.5% from three. Murray earned his first All-Star and All-NBA nods and looked every bit like a top-five point guard, yet the game has him as the eighth-highest-rated point guard.
He trails Tyrese Haliburton and Tyrese Maxey, but sits ahead of Trae Young, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and LaMelo Ball. Even with that ranking, 89 still feels light compared with Maxey’s 92.
Aaron Gordon’s number also feels off, especially if you judge him by impact instead of label. He’s at 83 overall, which places him 13th among power forwards.
In 36 healthy appearances last season, Gordon put up 16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 49.7% from the floor and 38.9% from beyond the arc. That kind of production makes him arguably the highest-impact non-All-Star forward in the league.
He’s tied with Julius Randle and just behind Zion Williamson, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Chet Holmgren, but the source of the issue is bigger than Gordon alone: several power forwards around him look a little undersold too. Still, an 85 or 86 would make more sense for him than 83.
Then there’s Spencer Jones, who might be the most underappreciated Nugget in the game. His rating puts him alongside Lonnie Walker IV and K.J.
Simpson, and even below Tyus Jones at 73. Last season, Jones carved out real value as a forward, averaging 7.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.6 stocks in 37 regular season starts while shooting 51% from the field and 40.3% from deep.
He also started three playoff games and delivered one of Denver’s biggest moments of the postseason, scoring 20 points with three steals and three blocks in an elimination game. A rating in the 76-78 range would make far more sense for him.
For now, Jokic remains the headliner and the Nuggets remain one of the league’s elite teams. But in NBA 2K27, Murray, Gordon, and Jones all have a case that their numbers should be higher.
In Other News...
Nuggets Bench Battle Could Reshape Denvers Rotation Fast
Denvers second unit is already shaping up as one of the most interesting parts of the roster heading toward the 2026-27 season, with offseason turnover set to force real changes in how the Nuggets piece together their rotation. Julian Strawther, Christian Braun and Spencer Jones are all in the mix to see their roles shift, and the teams decisions around the bench will go a long way toward determining how much stability the supporting cast can provide around the core.
Spencer Jones place in that picture is especially notable after Denver chose to retain him, a sign the front office sees value in what he brings as it tries to improve the teams defensive rating. With Braun and Strawther also positioned for different workloads, the Nuggets may not just be tweaking the end of the rotation - they could be reworking how that entire second unit functions from night to night. [Read more 🡒]
Nikola Jokic Just Added Another Reminder Of How Rare He Is
Nikola Jokic keeps adding to a rsum that already looked unlike anyone elses, and this latest honor reaches back to the place where it all started. The Denver center was already a former ABA League MVP before arriving in the NBA, and now the Adriatic Basketball League has put him at the top of its first quarter-century, another nod to a career that has crossed from regional standout to three-time NBA MVP and one of the sports defining figures.
For Jokic, the recognition carries a particular weight because it comes from the league that helped shape him long before the Nuggets made him their franchise centerpiece. He spoke with gratitude about the honor and the role that league played in his development, a reminder that even with all the NBA hardware, some of the most meaningful milestones are the ones tied to where a player grew up. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Are Finally Addressing Their Toughest Offseason Loss
The Nuggets are still sorting through one of the summers tougher exits, with 23-year-old forward Peyton Watson now gone after a restricted free agency process and a move that sent him to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a future first-round pick. Watson had become a meaningful part of Denvers rotation, coming off a strong season in which he averaged 14.6 points and led the team in blocks per game, so his departure lands differently than a routine roster shuffle.
Assistant coach Ognjen Stojakovi acknowledged how hard it is to lose a young player with that kind of growth, but he also framed the conversation around what comes next. For Denver, the message is clear enough: the roster has changed, the sting is real, and the focus now shifts back to the one goal that keeps every offseason decision in perspective, chasing a championship. [Read more 🡒]