Nikola Jokic isn’t going to make any predictions or boasts about how the Nuggets will do this season, Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post writes. The league’s reigning Most Valuable Player says he’s not sure if they’re good enough to win a championship.
“If everybody buys in and everybody plays the right way, there is a chance, of course,” Jokic said. “Do we have enough talent? I don’t know. Are we the best team in the NBA? I don’t know. So we will see. The season is going to show us everything. As for goals for the season? You know, I don’t make any goals for the season. Of course, everybody says championship, (but) that’s what they were saying the last seven years. I’m not going to say championship, that’s just something in our imagination or something we want to do.”
We have more on the Nuggets:
- Monte Morris said he’s been nagged by knee tendinitis throughout his NBA career, according to Mike Singer of the Denver Post. Morris underwent focused rehabilitation and medical management for approximately 10 weeks this summer and feels like he’ll regain his explosiveness. “For me to take this step where I want to go, on my end, personally, without that being done to it, it was going to be very tough,” Morris said. “It’s something I’ve been dealing with my whole career.”
- The Nuggets’ front office received a C grade from The Athletic’s Zach Harper in his offseason evaluation. The team didn’t significantly improve at any position and it needs to find more of a defensive identity with this core group, in Harper’s estimation.
- In case you missed it, the team signed forward Petr Cornelie to a two-way contract over the weekend. Get the details here.
Paraphrased: “Ain’t happening.” – Jokic
If the a team like the Suns can win the West then why can’t Denver?
Agreed. Id put Denver as one of the favorites with a West that has become the weaker conference
loose lips. last contract for monte.
But he has not been declining. He has been turning down minutes though, both as a first-unit guard, and joining the Nigerian team in Japan.
I was one saying championship for Denver, but no more. Jokic is the only smart player. Gordon is supposed to take that role as a veteran but that is unproven. Murray & Barton are best when they are not thinkers.
Nuggets have an MVP in Jokic who runs the offence, can space the floor and is near unguardable and a solid bunch of role players.
Murray is nice in the regular season and goes hard in the playoffs but is expensive on his new deal. Gordon just got a deal, he doesn’t specialise in anything other than dunks. MPJ is still developing has injury concerns but looks like a future star, then you have the likes of Morris, Barton, JaMychal and Jeff Green, Austin River’s, Compazzo and Bol Bol.
However what this team really lacks is defence.
In the last three years you’ve made the conference semis twice and WCF once. It has to be WCF at a minimum, otherwise it’s a bust.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see a MPJ + Bol + a 1st for Jaylen Brown trade. He would give them a solid defender while still being a good scoring option. He’s also very smart and I think would fit well in Denver, while MPJ and Tatum would make an extremely exciting duo in Boston.
Jamal Murray is the main reason they went to the WCF in 2020, remember?
And he’s also the reason they failed to go back earlier this year when he tore his ACL. The Nuggets came back after falling behind 3-1 in the first two rounds last year and a lot of that had to do with Murray’s play against the Jazz and the Clippers. If you’re going to classify Murray as just a solid role player, then you might as well do the same with Simmons.
I have nothing against Murray at all. But in today’s day when your talking about competing for a championship against super teams with multiple all stars, Jamal Murray is a good role player in comparison.
He’s never made an all star game, he’s only averaged over 20 points per game in 1 season, never averaged over 5 assists per game for a season, and so on and so on.
Now don’t get it twisted he’s very good and in your reference to Simmons I would say Simmons is just slightly better, however both are not superstars which was more the point. Simmons even with the faults in his game is a 3 time all star, 2 time all defensive teamer and was all nba third team last year.
Back to Murray tho, my point more of less was you have 1 truely elite talent in Jokic and a bunch of really good players around him. So far what they have achieved has been really good however if you want to reach the next level either someone is going to have to step up big time or you might need to send away some talent for an upgrade. Murray could be someone that steps up his game. I know he’s got it in him after seeing his playoff performances but he needs to do that more regularly if the nuggets want to actually win something
If they win, it’s because Murray’s advanced metrics look more like CP3. WS 8-9, O and D Positive +\-, VORP 3-4.
That’s the leap that needs to be made.
Best Nuggets team. Since Mello, Camby, Chauncey team. That went to West finals. I think anyway. They are a good team still getting better. So they have a shot at it. They are a deeper team too. Now with Murray back. They can be in West finals.
They can for sure.
It all depends on when/if Murray comes back.
If he is back before the playoffs begin next year, they should make the WCF.
This group lead by Jokic has already made the WCF, and the team your referring to the 08/09 Nuggets didn’t have Camby. They had JR Smith and Kenyon Martin.
I’d say this team is already better than them considering they have an MVP in Jokic and Murray is a fringe all star. Whereas Billups never made an all star appearance as a Nugget and Melo 08/09 didn’t make an all nba side.
On paper, having gone from Millsap and Harris to MPJ and Gordon this side right now is arguably the best Nuggets side
Jokic & Luka, now that’s a championship in an instance!
It’s just sensible to not make predictions ahead of a long season full of uncertainty and the potential for good and bad luck to affect the flow of those 82 games.
It’s not Jokic’ personality, and they’re still a young team. There’s no rush to be making statements or ultimatums.
Let’s just see how it goes eh?
They are definitely a Finals contender. With Jokic and a returning Murray, they should be strong.
On paper, you can put this Nuggets team up against anyone, and I’d argue they’d match-up pretty well, if not favorably.
Now, that’s IF they have ALL their pieces healthy.
They have enough depth to survive an injury, but it cannot be to one of their main scorers like Murray again.
They’ll have Murray, Morris, Compazzo, Barton, and I LOVE their draft pick “Bones” Hyland. Dude will bring it on the defensive end, and can grow as a scorer and offensive weapon. With Murray, Barton, Bones, Morris, Rivers, and Compazzo they’re as deep as anyone when it comes to guard and perimeter play.
Porter Jr., the Greens, Gordon, Cancar, etc. they should be plenty fine at the forward spots, but they need these guys to become more balanced whether it is Porter Jr.’s defense or Gordon’s offense.
Then, of course, they have Jokic the reigning MVP, but a big question I have is why isn’t Bol Bol getting more playing time?!? When he is in the game, from my p.o.v he’s done pretty well, and he could be an excellent backup to Jokic. They just haven’t really given him the chance to shine in an extended role.
I like like Nuggets 10 deep as much as any other teams. There is no reason they should be one of the final 4 teams when it is all said and done.
Bol Bol looks totally lost out there. Defensive rotations, offensive spacing, hustle, motor… He’s like a newborn foal.
Sure, his highlights are fun, but these are during ball-hogging garbage time minutes.
I’m not saying he won’t improve, and I hope he does, but he’s a ways off contributing any meaningful minutes at this point.
A backup big needs to rebound, set screens and play solid D. Bol simply doesn’t have the physical stature to play this role.
He’s currently a Tacko Fall-esque novelty/fan favourite.
I think his ceiling is as a scoring big man off the bench playing vs small ball reserves/alongside another traditional big – Mo Buckets Speights style.