The latest NBA Top 100 from The Ringer paints a pretty clean picture of where the Nuggets stand heading into the season.
Nikola Jokic came in at No. 2, trailing only Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs. Jamal Murray landed at No. 23, putting him inside the top 25. Aaron Gordon checked in at No. 52, just outside the top 50.
That gives Denver the highest-ranked duo of any Western Conference team. The next-best second player on a West team was the Thunder’s Jalen Williams at No.
- It also means the Nuggets have one of the stronger big threes in the league on paper, with very few teams placing three players that high.
And yet, that’s where the encouraging part stops.
The real issue for Denver remains what it has been for years: there just isn’t enough dependable depth behind Jokic, Murray, and Gordon. Cam Johnson, DeMar DeRozan, and Christian Braun all come up as names that could have cracked the top 100 depending on how you feel about them, but the fact that those spots are even up for debate says plenty about the uncertainty surrounding the rest of the roster.
The Nuggets know exactly what they’re getting from their stars when everyone is healthy. The problem is what happens after that. That lack of consistency has forced those three to shoulder too much, and it’s been part of why the team has looked worn down when the playoffs arrive.
If Denver wants to avoid that again, it needs more from the supporting cast during the regular season. The goal is simple: take some of the burden off the big three so they have enough left when the games matter most.
The blueprint for what this team can be is already there. In 2023, with everyone available, the Nuggets rolled to a championship. Since then, they haven’t gotten close to that level.
These rankings won’t decide anything by themselves, but they do offer a useful snapshot. If Denver adds a couple more players to the top 100 by season’s end, that would probably mean a strong regular season and a better setup for a postseason push. If it’s still just Jokic, Murray, and Gordon on the list when everything is done, then the familiar problems may show up again, and the Nuggets could once more run out of steam when it counts.
In Other News...
Nuggets Suddenly Have A Julian Strawther Problem They Didn't Want
The Nuggets preseason loss to the Clippers was already the kind of October result teams mostly file away and move past, but the sight of Julian Strawther leaving after a third-quarter knee injury changed the tone quickly. Strawther has been part of Denvers effort to build out its depth, and any issue involving a rotation player this early in camp tends to land harder because it interrupts the work of sorting out roles and finding rhythm.
Trevon Brazile gave Denver something more encouraging off the bench in the same game, which is a small preseason bright spot the Nuggets can point to while they wait for clarity on Strawther. For now, though, the injury is the part hanging over everything, and the lack of an official report only adds to the uncertainty as Denver moves deeper into preseason without a clear read on how serious it might be. [Read more 🡒]
Julian Strawther Injury Scare Clouds A Crucial Nuggets Opportunity
Julian Strawthers night against the Clippers had an encouraging start before it turned tense, with the second-year wing leaving Denvers preseason game after a lower-body injury and not returning. Strawther had given the Nuggets useful minutes before the exit, finishing with 11 points, two rebounds and two turnovers in 19 minutes as Denver fell 122-110.
For a team trying to sort out its rotation and lean on young depth, any setback in the preseason carries extra weight. Strawther has been in the mix for a more meaningful role, and the Nuggets will now be waiting to see how serious the injury is before they can know whether this was just a scare or something that could slow his push for a bigger opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Rookie Is Suddenly Forcing A Real Bench Debate
The Nuggets may have found a little more summer intrigue than they expected in Trevon Brazile, the rookie second-round pick who looked anything but tentative in a preseason game against the Clippers. He was the first man off the bench, played with obvious confidence, and brought the kind of athletic pop Denver can always use, finishing with 22 points while flashing impact on both ends of the floor.
There were still the usual rookie rough edges, especially a few defensive lapses, but Braziles overall showing gave the Nuggets something to think about as the rotation starts to take shape. For head coach David Adelman, the question is no longer just whether Brazile can hold his own in preseason minutes, but whether a real bench role is beginning to open up in front of him. [Read more 🡒]