Nuggets Media Survey: How the rest of the West views Nikola Jokic and Denver

With the regular season tipping off tonight, DNVR anonymously surveyed 15 media members — one from each team in the Western Conference — to get their thoughts on the current state of the Nuggets and the West. Each media member answered the same 10 questions.

Their responses are below.

This poll was conducted over the last week.

Who is the best team in the West?

1. Nuggets (15 votes)

The Nuggets wear their crown as the best in the West, and it’s unanimous among the 15 media members polled. When I asked this same question before last season’s playoff started, the Nuggets got 12 out of 15 first-place votes. The other three went to the Suns.

Where will the Nuggets finish in the West?

1. 1st (7 votes)

2. 2nd (6 votes)

3. 3rd (2 votes)

The voters narrowly picked the Nuggets to finish 1st in the West (regular season). One media member who answered 2nd to this question cited a “championship hangover.”

What team in the West is the toughest matchup for the Nuggets?

1. Suns (7 votes)

2. Timberwolves (3 votes)

T-3. Lakers (2 votes)

T-3. Warriors (2 votes)

4. Clippers (1 vote)

The Suns are the clear pick as the Nuggets’ toughest matchup in the West. But after that, there’s no clear next-toughest challenger. One voter who selected the Timberwolves noted that they have the size to guard Denver and is a team “on the rise.”

What is the Nuggets’ biggest question mark heading into the season?

1. Depth (12 votes)

T-2. Ability to guard in space (1 vote)

T-2. Complacency (1 vote)

T-2 Point of attack defense (1 vote)

The voters are united about the Nuggets’ biggest question mark. It’s their bench and specifically their overall depth. Voters who answered “depth” cited how much Denver is relying on its youth and its lack of proven, reliable players coming off its bench.

What player is the Nuggets’ X-factor this season?

1. Christian Braun (7 votes)

T-2. Michael Porter Jr. (3 votes)

T-2. Peyton Watson (3 votes)

T-3. Aaron Gordon (1 vote)

T-3. Jamal Murray (1 vote)

Like us in Denver, the rest of the West believes that Christian Braun needs to make a big jump this season. Seven of the 15 Western Conference media members polled voted him as the Nuggets’ X-factor. One said that Denver, “needs him to get to the level Bruce Brown was at last season.” The media member who voted for Michael Porter Jr. noted a potential leap coming from MPJ. Same with the voter who wrote in Jamal Murray.

Who don’t you trust in the Nuggets’ projected rotation?

(the starters, plus Braun, Jackson, Watson, Holiday, Nnaji)

1. Reggie Jackson (8 votes)

2. Peyton Watson (3 votes)

3. “The entire bench” (2 votes)

T-4. Justin Holiday (1 vote)

T-4. Zeke Nnaji (1 vote)

The voters are united about the Nuggets’ bench. They don’t trust Reggie Jackson, who enters the season as Denver’s backup point guard. Two voters answered “the entire bench.”

What player in the NBA is the best at guarding Nikola Jokic?

T-1. Joel Embiid (3 votes)

T-1. Rudy Gobert (3 votes)

2. “No one” (2 votes)

T-3. Steven Adams (1 vote)

T-3. OG Anunoby (1 vote)

T-3. Wendell Carter Jr. (1 vote)

T-3. Draymond Green (1 vote)

T-3. LeBron James (1 vote)

T-3. Nikola Jokic (1 vote)

T-3. “Christ Himself” (1 vote)

Voters had trouble answering this question, hence the ones who answered “Nikola Jokic” and “Christ Himself.” Joel Embiid and Rudy Gobert are in a tier of their own, according to these voters, but shoutout to the media member who voted OG Anunoby. The Raptors are the only team in the NBA that Nikola Jokic hasn’t scored 30+ points against in his career. The voter who selected Jokic holds an opinion that he “tends to get bored” when facing bad teams. This poll was also conducted before the Steven Adams injury news.

What team in the NBA is best at guarding Nikola Jokic?

1. Bucks (5 votes)

T-2. Grizzlies (2 votes)

T-2. Lakers (2 votes)

T-2. Warriors (2 votes)

T-2. “No team” (2 votes)

T-3. Celtics (1 vote)

T-3. Timberwolves (1 vote)

This is another question that the voters had a difficult time answering, but five out of 15 did pick Milwaukee. That’s interesting. Nikola Jokic carves up the Bucks every time they’ve played recently. He’s averaging 30.3 points on 58% shooting across his last four meetings with Milwaukee, and Denver is 3-1 in those matchups. Included in those four games is an 18-point, 10-rebound, 15-assist triple-double on 7-9 shooting in a 136-100 Nuggets win. There’s a belief out there that the Bucks guard Jokic well. But they don’t.

Michael Malone is a top __ coach in the NBA?

1. Top 5 (7 votes)

2. Top 6 (4 votes)

3. Top 7 (3 votes)

4. Top 3 (1 vote)

No one’s stock may have gotten a bigger post-championship bump than Michael Malone’s. Almost the majority of voters (seven out of 15) believe that Malone is a top 5 coach in the NBA. One voter put him in the top 3. But the takeaway here is that Malone is a unanimous top 7 coach.

Who wins MVP this season?

1. Nikola Jokic (6 votes)

T-2. Giannis Antetokounmpo (2 votes)

T-2. Devin Booker (2 votes)

T-2. Luka Doncic (2 votes)

T-2. Jayson Tatum (2 votes)

3. Damian Lillard (1 vote)

Nikola Jokic is the heavy favorite for MVP, but Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn’t the clear-cut second choice among these media members like he seems to be for the public. Their votes were split among Antetokounmpo, Devin Booker, Luka Doncic, and Jayson Tatum.