The NBA 2020 Dark Horses: Denver Nuggets
- Finished last season 54-28 and seeded second before being knocked out by the Trail Blazers.
- The Nuggets roster is the fourth-youngest in the NBA
- Only Wilt Chamberlain has had more assists ever at centre than Nikola Jokic last season – 7.3pg game at centre
- Jokic had 12 triple-doubles last season, again only bettered by Chamberlain at the position
- He now has 28 career triple-doubles, moving him past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the second-most all-time at centre
The Nuggets will be hoping that Serbian Nikola Jokic can take his game to the next level of superstardom. He’ll need to deliver in the crunch time to make that happen.
Not much has happened at Denver in the offseason. The only real activity to note is the addition of Jerami Grant for a 2020 first-round pick to the Thunder.
He’s defensive minded role will be significant and he will be expected to be either a third or fourth option or possibly the best sixth man in the league.
One of the top prospects of the 2018 Draft Michael Porter Jr. redshirted his rookie year due to injuries but will join the team this season. He was once considered a generational talent and could set the Western Conference alight.
Jokic will however remain the key piece around a largely unchanged roster. Denver’s offence improved 7.1 points per 100 possessions when he was in the lineup. The Nuggets have been a better team defensively with him off the court, which is where the addition of Grant is a good piece of business.
It’s hard to believe that one of the best players in the NBA was the 41st pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. Nikola Jokic proved it last season putting up averages of 20.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists playing at centre.
His 7.3 assist per game was the third most ever by a centre only bettered by Wilt Chamberlain’s 8.6 assists and 7.8 assists per game in 1967-68 and 1966-67.
Jokic’s 12 triple-doubles last season was also third most ever by a centre in a single season. Once again bettered only by Chamberlain, who finished with 31 and 22 triple-doubles in 1967-68 and 1966-67.
He’s ranked 9th favourite for the MVP, due in part to not being a score-first type player. He has a legitimate shot at claiming it if Denver can make a deep run in the playoffs.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Barely any off-season changes were made to the Denver roster. Jerami Grant being the only major change will perfectly complement Denver’s existing core.
The Nuggets have the fourth-youngest roster in the NBA and in an off-season of seismic changes in the Western Conference, their almost identical roster could be the difference maker.
The continuation and building of the Nugget’s team chemistry is what makes them a true dark horse and a team to be feared. They were only one game shy of the Western Conference Finals and are a big chance of going even further this season.