Is this the year the Denver Nuggets start their final run with this group?
That question is going to hang over the 2023 NBA champs all season, and it gets louder if they slip out of real title contention by the middle of next year. The West doesn’t exactly look like it’s waiting for Denver to catch its breath, either.
Oklahoma City and San Antonio could both be better, Minnesota is still there, and a finish lower than any since the 2017-2018 season is very much in play. If that happens, the path back to another title gets a lot steeper.
The bigger concern is that Denver spent the offseason watching other teams improve while, at least on paper, it stayed put. The Nuggets are expected to roll out the same starting five as last season, and the depth behind them looks thinner. That means the burden on Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray may be just as heavy as ever, which is not exactly the kind of workload you want to be talking about before camp even opens.
Health is the whole story here. It has been for the past two seasons, and it will be again. If last year’s injury-plagued season repeats itself, then everything could be on the table - including the possibility of moving Joker.
DeMar DeRozan should help, but he comes with his own reality check. He’s 37, he’s been dependable so far, and Father Time still hasn’t been beaten. Banking on him to stay upright for the full season is a gamble.
The Nuggets seem to know this could be the last time around for this core, and that kind of urgency can cut both ways. Aaron Gordon spent the offseason looking for better ways to train and condition the leg muscles that have given him trouble the last two years.
Christian Braun spent much of the summer working on his outside shot, which is a pretty important box to check for a shooting guard. Tyus Jones has to be a real answer as the backup point guard.
Zeke Nnaji - “we wish we could trade him” - needs to become a steady contributor. So does DaRon Holmes, another former first-round pick still chasing production that matches the draft slot.
Denver does not need every player to have a career season to stay in the mix. But a few breakthroughs would help a lot. If they don’t come, next year could look very different.
In Other News...
Clippers Punishment Just Changed One Nikola Jokic Fear For Nuggets Fans
Nikola Jokics long-term future has been one of the few looming questions around the Nuggets, even after he has repeatedly signaled that he wants to stay in Denver. He has not signed an extension, and with free agency still a business decision in 2027, any team hoping to dream on a Jokic chase has had to at least keep one eye on the possibility.
The NBAs punishment of the Clippers for salary cap violations tied to Kawhi Leonard changes that calculus in a big way. With the league stripping Los Angeles of five first-round picks from 2029 through 2033 and suspending key executives, the franchises ability to build toward a star pursuit has taken a severe hit, and the idea of the Clippers as a future Jokic destination has effectively gone out the window. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Enter A Roster Crossroads With 4 Futures Suddenly In Doubt
Denvers roster picture is already starting to bend toward the next offseason, and a few familiar names are suddenly sitting in the middle of it. The Nuggets are looking at a stretch in which contract decisions, performance and a tightening salary-cap outlook could all collide, putting some of the depth pieces around the core under a brighter spotlight than usual as the franchise thinks ahead to the 2026-27 season.
The uncertainty is not just about whether those players fit, but whether the team can afford to keep carrying everyone if the on-court return does not justify the price. Between possible trades, release decisions and the realities of roster-building for a contender, this is the kind of crossroads that can reshape a bench quickly, and the next few months should say plenty about which direction Denver wants to take. [Read more 🡒]
Former Nuggets Title Piece Is Suddenly In Lakers Rumors
Dalton Knechts rough start has already pushed the Lakers into a familiar kind of roster math, and it has opened the door to another name Nuggets fans know well. Los Angeles is reportedly searching for a team willing to take on the young wings development project, with the bigger picture being how to better shape the roster around Luka Doncic in the future.
One of the cleaner ideas floating around league circles is a path that would clear salary and allow the Lakers to add help on the wing, with several moves tied together rather than a single swap. For Denver, the interesting part is the veteran free agent angle attached to the discussion, because it points back to a former title piece who could again be on the move as the Lakers try to solve both their short-term rotation and long-term cap sheet. [Read more 🡒]