The Nuggets just keep living in that narrow lane between “really good” and “what if.” Last season, they finished 54-28 and grabbed third place in the Western Conference, then watched San Antonio and Oklahoma City push all the way to the West finals. It was a strong regular season on paper, but the bigger story was how hard they had to work to get there.
Denver’s 54 wins came with plenty of wear and tear. Their best starting five only shared the floor for 23 games, and even in those stretches the bench was often patchwork.
Injuries were the constant drag, yet the Nuggets still managed a top-three finish in the West for the fourth straight season. That kind of consistency matters, especially in a conference that doesn’t give anybody much breathing room.
Looking ahead, the outlook is more complicated. The offseason has been quiet in the wrong kind of way, with Marvin Bagley III standing as the most notable addition so far. Denver still has two open roster spots, so the work is not finished, but right now it is tough to place them above Houston, and even tougher to put them anywhere close to Oklahoma City or San Antonio.
That said, the Nuggets are not being projected to fall off a cliff. Their win range sits between 52 and 58, which basically says this: last season’s 54 wins were probably a fair reflection of where they are. Not much better, not much worse.
The ceiling still depends on health. If Denver stays afloat physically, the team has enough at the top to win a lot of games. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray remain one of the league’s best duos, and while they may not reach the same level of dominance they showed a year ago, they are still the kind of tandem that keeps Denver in the mix.
The risk shows up when the supporting cast is asked to carry too much. Aaron Gordon and Cameron Johnson are among the players whose drop-off would matter most if the depth starts to thin out again. The Nuggets know the formula: the stars can lead the way, but they cannot do everything by themselves.
Josh Kroenke put it plainly: "I thought that if this group was healthy that this could be a 60-65 win team, but we never got a chance to fully show it.""That's why I say everything has to be on the table, including running it back. I really do believe in the group..."
If the standings fall the right way, Denver should still be in a good place. A top-four seed would keep the path manageable, and a first-round date with the Lakers would not be the kind of draw the Nuggets would dread, even if any matchup with Luka Doncic carries its own problems.
The broader picture is simple enough. The West remains loaded, and while the Thunder and Spurs may look like the two teams at the top of the board, Denver has not exactly disappeared from the conversation. If the health breaks right, they have the core to stay right there with them.
In Other News...
Nuggets Look Smarter Than Ever For Letting KCP Walk
When the Nuggets let Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk in free agency two years ago, it felt like a sharp departure from a player who had brought steadiness and championship-level reliability to Denver. Instead of matching the offer that sent him to Orlando, the Nuggets made a choice that was as much about roster balance and long-term flexibility as it was about the player himself, and at the time it was easy to see why that decision invited second-guessing.
Now, with Caldwell-Pope having seen his performance dip, then getting dealt to Memphis, bought out and eventually landing with Philadelphia, Denvers front office looks a lot smarter in hindsight. The broader lesson for the Nuggets is not just that they avoided a contract that no longer looks especially clean, but that they preserved the financial room to keep building around their core rather than tying themselves to a move that was already starting to age badly. [Read more 🡒]
Jokic Just Put Denvers Championship Window Under A Bigger Spotlight
Nikola Jokic has again left the Nuggets in the same familiar position this offseason, opting not to sign a supermax extension as Denver tries to keep its title core intact. It is the second straight summer he has passed on that move, and around the league the decision is being read less as a warning flare than as a financial calculation tied to where the next great payday sits.
For Denver, the timing only sharpens the spotlight on its championship window, because every contract decision now gets measured against the bigger question of how long this group can stay together under the cap. Rival teams are watching closely, knowing Jokic could simply wait another year before taking the next step, and that possibility alone has made the Nuggets a more talked-about franchise than usual when it comes to future roster planning. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Face A Tough Peyton Watson Decision As Talks Drag On
The Nuggets offseason has already included one notable change in Peyton Watsons frame, with the forward reportedly adding bulk and going from 200 pounds to 220 as he works to handle a bigger role. For Denver, that physical growth matters because Watson remains a restricted free agent, and the organization has been engaged in contract discussions while trying to balance his upside with the rest of its roster-building priorities.
Marc Stein reported that the talks have dragged on without a final resolution, leaving the Nuggets to weigh how far they want to go to keep a young defender and athlete who fits their long-term picture. Even as another Western Conference team, Minnesota, sorted out its own future broadcast setup with DAZN for 2026/27, Denvers focus is still on a more immediate question: whether Watsons next deal can be settled soon enough to give both sides the clarity they want. [Read more 🡒]