Is this the year the Nuggets go on a postseason run?
Since 2019, the Denver Nuggets have been a consistent playoff team. They’ve gotten as far as the Western Conference Finals in 2020, but are yet to have their “breakthrough” moment. Nikola Jokic has won back to back MVP awards, however the Nuggets have been consistently derailed by injuries and depth problems in the postseason.
Since their trip to the Western Conference finals during the Orlando bubble, the Nuggets have been on the freefall in terms of their playoff longevity. Last season, they lost to the eventual champion Golden State Warriors in the first round.
Part of the reason why Denver lost that series vs. Steph Curry & Co. was Jamal Murray’s injury, and Michael Porter Jr’s bad back.
Fast forward to the 2022 preseason games and Jamal Murray is back. He finished with ten points, two assists, and two steals in Denver’s recent loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder, however Nuggets fans couldn’t care less about the score. They’re just thrilled to see their star guard back in NBA action after a lengthy layoff.
Getting Over the Hump
Reaching the West finals in 2020 wasn’t a first for the Nuggets. Prior to this, they’ve been to the West finals three times- twice against the Los Angeles Lakers and once against the Seattle Supersonics.
Incidentally, they also lost to the Lakers in 2020.
On paper, many forget Denver actually has an above average Big Three in Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. When healthy, the dynamic duo of Jokic and Murray can be deadly in pick-and-roll situations. Aside from being one of the best pick-and-roll passers in the league, Murray also has plenty of scoring in his arsenal.
Murray averaged 21.2 points, 4.8 assists, and four rebounds during the 2020-2021 season. However, he sustained an ACL tear in April 2021 that forced him to miss the entire 2021-2022 season.
On the other hand, Michael Porter Jr. can be an effective long-range sniper at times when Jokic gets doubled. However, MPJ was limited to nine games last season thanks to a recurring back injury which has plagued him since college.
The result of the injuries to Murray and MPJ: Nikola Jokic carried the Nuggets on his own last season with averages of 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 1.5 steals in 74 regular-season games.
If the Nuggets want to get over the hump, the first priority would be to ensure both Murray and MPJ stay healthy. Which likely means they’ll be on tight minutes restrictions in the early going of the season.
Of course, the Nuggets can’t rely on their main trio alone. Depth has been their undoing in the past, but this Nuggets team shouldn’t lack bodies. Kentavious Cardwell-Pope played the 2021-2022 campaign with the Washington Wizards before getting traded to Denver. The Nuggets then agreed to give him a 30-million dollar contract extension believing he could bolster the Nuggets’ championship aspirations.
Cardwell-Pope averaged 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals for the Wizards last season. He also shot 39% from beyond the three-point line.
Another player whose contributions are expected to help Denver is fifth-year veteran Bruce Brown. He’s an athletic guard who can defend and knock down outside shots. More importantly, he’s still on the young side at 26 years old.
The former Net averaged nine points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists last season for Brooklyn. He also shot 40.4% from three.
Sprinkle in Aaron Gordon, Bones Hyland, and Jeff Green, and suddenly the Nuggets have 8 solid players whom they can build around. If they’re able to get contributions from Ish Smith and DeAndre Jordan off the bench, then they’ve got as good a shot as any in the West to go deep into the playoffs this year.
If these pieces can come together and stay healthy, maybe, just maybe, the Nuggets can finally get over the hump this spring.
-Iggy Gonzales
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.