Before the 2024 NBA season even began, it seemed as though the victor was decided.
The defending champs, the Denver Nuggets, seemed to be levitating above everyone else. Some analysts went so far as to declare them a “budding dynasty.” Before the season, Nuggets GM Calvin Booth went so far as to state, “We should win three or four [titles].”
And who would have bet against them? They had dominated the field in the 2023 playoffs. The Nuggets had to play only one game 6 on the way to the finals and had never even sniffed game 7. Only, a few things had changed since the previous season. Bruce Brown departed for Indiana and Jeff Green left for Houston.
Without their veteran bench depth, the Nuggets began relying more heavily on their starters along with their younger players. Some of the young guys like Christian Braun, Julian Strawther, and Peyton Watson were expected to offset the losses. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen, leading the Nuggets to have the 25th-ranked bench during the 2024 season.
Throughout the 2024 playoffs, this lack of depth showed. Denver flamed out spectacularly, losing in seven games to the young and hungry Minnesota Timberwolves in round two.
Since this surprising loss, the Nuggets have lost even more veteran talent. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Denver’s fifth starter, signed a lucrative deal with the Orlando Magic. Reggie Jackson, Denver’s sixth or seventh guy, was picked up by the Philadelphia 76ers. Even worse, Denver couldn’t replace them as the new CBA has them financially restricted.
Championship Chances
With even more lost depth, it’s becoming more and more difficult to see a path to another Nuggets championship.
One obvious counterpoint to this would be that Nikola Jokic is the best player in the world. Jokic is coming off of a season where he averaged 26/12/9 and won his third MVP in four years. He might be good enough to will them to over 50 wins again— but will it be enough in the playoffs?
Now, there are hyper-competitive young teams in the West like the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves. In the East, the New York Knicks traded for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, creating a star-studded rotation. Oh, and don’t forget about the defending champs and title favorites: the Boston Celtics.
As long as the Nuggets have the best player in the world, it would be foolish to count them out of the title race. Unfortunately, basketball is a team sport. No matter how great Jokic is, he needs the guys around him to step up. The Denver Nuggets are much too good of a team to only win one ring.
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