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It’s all set up for the Nuggets to make 2023 a year to remember. Denver has the best player in the NBA and the talent, experience, and depth to accomplish all of its goals this season. It’s all there for the taking. 2023 could be the most memorable year in Nuggets franchise history. Here’s how DNVR Nuggets sees it going.
1. The Nuggets are about to go on a 10-game win streak
Let’s start bold. This Nuggets team is so connected right now. They’re locked in on offense and buying in on defense. Jamal Murray is in a nice groove. Michael Porter Jr. is playing both ends of the floor. Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are doing exactly what their roles require. The bench is trending up. The Nuggets have won two in a row and their next eight opponents are the Lakers (home), Suns (home), Clippers (away), Magic (home), Trail Blazers (home), Timberwolves (home), Pacers (home) and Thunder (home). That’s seven games at Ball Arena and only one on the road.
2. The Nuggets will gradually become the consensus favorite in the West
I just don’t envision this current run slowing down. And with the Warriors buried at .500 right now, I can see the conversation shifting and staying with the Nuggets. It’s definitely not going to be the Suns. Clearly. You can’t talk yourself into the Clippers. The Pelicans can’t stay healthy. The Grizzlies are the Grizzlies. The Mavs don’t have the supporting cast.
3. Aaron Gordon will say that he wants to play in Denver for the rest of his career
I’m actually surprised this hasn’t happened yet. Maybe Gordon just needs to be asked. He’s such a perfect fit next to Jokic and he genuinely loves the role he has here. Gordon’s still under contract for two more years after this season, but if the Nuggets want to keep paying Gordon, which they will, why would he want to play anywhere else?
4. Calvin Booth will make at least one trade before the Feb. 9 deadline
Booth is very conscious of what’s at stake this season. Nikola Jokic has raised his game again. Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are back. The Nuggets can win a championship this season and Booth wants to seize the moment. I think he’ll definitely make at least one trade before February’s deadline. He’s going to be aggressive and do what can be done to put the Nuggets in position to make it happen this year.
5. That trade will primarily be for a defensive-minded wing
This would be in line with Booth’s vision. It’s a vision we saw come to life last summer when he acquired Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown and drafted Christian Braun. The Nuggets want to build a roster that features big, long, athletic, and defensive-minded role players around Jokic. It still feels like Denver needs one more of those guys — and one more guy that Michael Malone will trust with minutes — for the upcoming playoff run.
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6. Zeke Nnaji will get dealt
Even though Nnaji has played well as of late at backup center, he still feels like the most likely player to be traded on Denver’s roster. He’s 22-years-old and eligible for an extension next summer. As of now, I can’t see the Nuggets being too motivated to get a deal done. If you’re a rival team, you could talk yourself into Nnaji, moving him back to his natural position of power forward and finding some upside value there. I don’t think he nets much in the trade market, but he can be a part of a package.
7. Aaron Gordon will make the All-Star team. Barely.
If Gordon was in Los Angeles and the Lakers or the Clippers were playing like Denver was, he’d be a shoo-in to make it. But since these are the Nuggets, I think Gordon’s facing an uphill battle even though he’s more than deserving. Gordon won’t make it as a starter, and I don’t know if he’ll initially make it as a reserve with how tight the West is. I see him getting in as an injury replacement chosen by Adam Silver.
8. Jamal Murray will score 40+ points in a regular-season game very soon
This feels like it’s coming. Murray’s season-high is 30 and he’s looking as comfortable as he has all season right now. I’ll go ahead and predict he gets 40 against the Suns, a team he loves playing against, in two days on January 11th.
9. The Nuggets will finish the season as the No. 1 seed in the West
I haven’t heard anyone talk about if the Nuggets should want the No. 1 seed this season. They should want it because they’re practically unbeatable at home. The Nuggets are 16-3 at home this season with losses to the Knicks (gross), Pistons (gross) and Mavs (OK). That’s tied with the Grizzlies for the best home record in the league. They should do what they reasonably can to ensure the playoffs run through Denver.
10. The Nuggets will finish the season with the NBA’s No. 1 offense
You hear it from Malone all the time: “We’re not worried about our offense.” And without a worry, the Nuggets are the No. 1 offense in the NBA. That’s a crazy way to think about it. There’s so much offensive talent on this roster. I think Bones Hyland has a great second half of the season too, which will boost the overall offense significantly. The bench’s offensive numbers are what’s preventing Denver from leading the NBA in offense by a country mile.
11. The Nuggets will finish the season with a top-20 defense
Denver ranks 23rd in defense right now but is the sixth-best defense in their last 10 games. I’m buying the surge.
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12. Nikola Jokic will win his third-straight MVP
This kind of feels…somewhat inevitable? Jokic will have the strongest case of the last three seasons to win MVP this year. He’s the best player on what could be the team with the best regular-season record and the Nuggets are trending towards the No. 1 ranked offense of all time. There you go. He’s also going to stay healthy and continue to post historic numbers. It feels like it’s all lining up. If it happens, I don’t know how the Nuggets will upstage their trophy presentation from last summer. Just watch this again if you need to brighten up your day.
13. Bones Hyland will win another playoff game
Hyland did it last year against the Warriors when he hit back-to-back-to-back 30-foot bombs that put the Nuggets up 17 in the second quarter of their eventual Game 4 win. He’ll do something similar in the playoffs this season.
14. The Nuggets will win a 1st round playoff series in less than six games
This would be unprecedented in the Malone era. These Nuggets have won exactly one playoff series in less than seven games. That was their 2021 first-round affair vs. Portland when Denver won in six with a Facu Campazzo-Austin Rivers starting backcourt. I think this team will overpower its first-round matchup this season.
15. Nikola Jokic will set a new playoff career-high in points per game
Jokic averaged a career-best 31 points per game in the playoffs last season. It came with the Warriors focusing much of their defensive game plan on stopping him. Jokic didn’t have much help if you remember. Monte Morris at 14 points per game was the Nuggets’ second-leading scorer in that series. With an upgraded supporting cast, Jokic will go over that 31-point-per-game mark this postseason. You won’t be able to help off of Denver’s role players as much.
16. If the Nuggets disappoint in the playoffs, there will be major changes
What exactly would qualify as disappointing? I think we’ll know it if we see it. If that does happen, I envision pretty significant changes. Malone could be gone. That’s just the nature of coaching a team with championship expectations. Denver could look to trade Porter. I don’t think Booth will hesitate if this team needs a major change to get over the hump.
17. Bruce Brown will leave Denver in free agency
The Nuggets can offer him at most around $7.8M per year in free agency. While I’m not ruling out Brown taking a hometown discount — he really likes Denver, the city, the low-key nature of it, how he’s out of the limelight, the role he plays here, and his teammates — I’m not counting on it. Brown is easily a $10-$15 million player. He should get a bag.
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18. Giannis Antetokounmpo demands a trade this summer and the Nuggets are on his short-list
There’s been some chatter this season that things aren’t too rosy in Milwaukee and Antetokounmpo isn’t pleased with how this season is going. You get the feeling there could eventually be changes there. If he asks out, the Nuggets would have to be on his preferred list of destinations. The Nico and Giannis show, but for real this time.
19. Christian Braun will be the Nuggets’ 6th man next season
He should be the Nuggets’ first man off the bench right now. But if Brown leaves, the second-year wing will step into his role. Braun’s the perfect sixth man in theory. He can play the two, the three and is an elite two-way player and fit next to Jokic and Denver’s top offensive options.
20. Peyton Watson will be in the rotation next season
The Nuggets are really excited by his play in the G League. Watson’s defensive versatility and range are also exactly what this roster needs. He’s not going to factor into Denver’s plans this year (even though I think his length could help), but will be a night-to-night player off the bench next season. The Nuggets think Watson can develop into a game-changer. Like a really, really good player and maybe even a star.
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