The Denver Nuggets will be coming off of an all-time high in 2023-24. After winning the NBA Championship the Nuggets are once again heavy favorites to win the West. Can they repeat as Champs?
It was a quiet offseason with most of the Nuggets activity coming in the draft. Though, in all honesty, there wasn’t much that they needed to add. At least anything that was a necessity. The Nuggets have built a perennial contender and mostly all they need right now is depth.
Key Additions:
The lone NBA veteran signed by the Nuggets this offseason. Holiday, the older brother of Jrue Holiday and Aaron Holiday, has been around for 10 years. During that time, he has primarily been a depth piece for many teams. With a career 36% shooting percentage, Holiday will be a sharpshooter on the wings for the Nuggets.
The Nuggets selected the Gonzaga product with the No. 29 overall pick. The biggest strength that Strawther possesses that will look good in Denver is his catch-and-shoot three-point ability. His hands are always ready, hips are loaded, and feet are set towards the basketball. In order to be an established player in the NBA, he needs to improve his body and defense. Regardless, Strawther should be a key piece for the Denver Nuggets second unit in 2023-24.
Jalen Pickett and Hunter Tyson
The two second-round picks will also provide some valuable depth for Denver. Pickett did it all for Penn State last season, he has a high basketball IQ and led the team in points, rebounding, assists and steals. Tyson might have been a steal in the second round, at least based on his performances in Summer League and in training camp. Tyson might have been the most improved player over the last five years at Clemson.
Key Losses:
The biggest move of the offseason for the Nuggets was not being able to bring back Brown. His defense, playmaking and versatility will be missed. Those three things were key to the Nuggets Championship run. They’ll look to fill that hole with a variety of players.
The depth and veteran leadership of the Nuggets is further weakened by the departure of Green. Uncle Jeff has been around for 15 seasons, spending the last two seasons with the Nuggets. Though, he isn’t as good as he once was, Green is still a valuable member for any team when it comes to dept. He can serve as a player-coach.
Projected Roster:
Starters: Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic
The Nuggets will most likely run it back with the same crew in the starting lineup. They’ll be bringing back the championship pedigree. As long as this group stays healthy, the Nuggets should continue to be one of the best in the west.
Bench: Reggie Jackson, Holiday, Christian Braun, Pickett, Peyton Watson, Zeke Nnaji, DeAndre Jordan, Tyson, Strawther
Even with losing some of their depth and versatility, the Nuggets still have a decent second unit which will be led by Jackson, Holiday and Nnaji. They’ll hope that the rookies can develop rather quickly so that they can add them to the rotation.
Season Outlook:
If all goes well, the Nuggets should be expected to at least get back to the Western Conference Finals. With the experience that they still have on the team… the rookies should develop rather quickly so that they can be valuable role players. Even if not, they still have Top 10 duo in the NBA, so they’ll be just fine. I would expect them to be a Top 3 team in the west and finish with a 53-29 record.
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