What the Nuggets' strong presence in the NBA Awards voting says about Denver's future

Nikola Jokic was running on fumes. Michael Malone knew it. His teammates knew it. Everyone watching could see what was hindering the Nuggets’ star center.

It was March 15 — smack dab in the middle of the dog days of the NBA calendar — when the Nuggets hosted the Dallas Mavericks and Jokic wore the look of an exhausted superstar who was feeling the burden of a trying regular season. Jokic had been the one constant in Denver’s starting lineup that had been ravaged by injuries, missing just one game due to a suspension, and the grueling NBA schedule was finally catching up to him.

In the Nuggets’ 100-99 win over the Mavericks that night, Jokic found a way to persevere. He had a quiet offensive outing but still approached a triple-double, finishing with 11 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists in 30 minutes. All four of his field goals came in the final seven minutes of regulation including the game-winner, a leaning right-handed floater from a step inside the right elbow. As some of Jokic’s more difficult shots tend to do, this one somehow found the bottom of the net.

“Nikola’s tired, man. He’s been carrying this team all season,” Malone said. “For us to be where we are, second in the West and a game behind Golden State, Nikola is an MVP candidate, and he’s wearing the weight of that in terms of the games and us going to him.”

Jokic’s laundry list of MVP-worthy moments didn’t end there, but the way he willed himself through Denver’s narrow win over Dallas stands out when reflecting back on his 2018-19 campaign. The first-time All-Star shifted his game into overdrive in the playoffs, averaging 25.1 points on 50.6% shooting from the field and 39.3% from 3, 13.0 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks per game, and nearly lifted the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals. The 24-year-old’s season was validated with a First Team All-NBA selection last month and Jokic was recognized for his achievements again Monday at the NBA Awards Show where the voting results for the league’s Most Valuable Player award were revealed. Jokic finished fourth behind winner Giannis Antetokounmpo, runner-up James Harden and third-place finisher Paul George.

The Nuggets were well-represented at the NBA Awards, not just because of Jokic’s fourth-place finish in MVP voting. Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly finished second in Executive of the Year voting behind Bucks’ general manager Jon Horst, and Michael Malone finished third in Coach of the Year voting behind Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers and Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer in what turned out to be a clean sweep of the three awards by Milwaukee.

Connelly’s strong moves from the past calendar year included re-signing Jokic to a five-year, $148 million contract that will keep the big man in Denver long-term, elevating both Monte Morris and Torrey Craig — two instrumental pieces to the Nuggets’ rotation —from two-way deals in 2017-18 to regular NBA contracts, and retaining Michael Malone after a third-straight season of missing the postseason. Connelly also preached patience and continuity with the Nuggets’ young core and deep bench, the latter of which proved crucial throughout a regular season where Denver found itself atop the leaderboard for most games missed due to injury for the majority of the year.

Malone also shined this season. Denver’s coach found a way to get a team that looked disinterested on defense for most of his first three years on the job to buy in on that end of the floor. The Nuggets finished the regular season tied for the ninth-best defense in the league with largely the same roster that placed 23rd in defensive efficiency in 2018. He also maintained trust in a young second unit and navigated a delicate situation around the All-Star break when he inserted Isaiah Thomas into the Nuggets’ rotation only to pull the plug on the experiment just nine games later when it was clear the former All-Star wasn’t going to be able to contribute to Denver’s stretch run.

Two members of Denver’s second unit were also recognized for their breakout seasons on the awards ballot. In what was essentially Monte Morris’ rookie year, Denver’s backup point guard finished ninth in Sixth Man of the Year voting and garnered three third-place votes while Malik Beasley, in his first season as a consistent part of the Nuggets’ rotation, took home three third-place votes in Most Improved Player voting.

Morris finished second in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio and averaged 10.4 points and 3.6 assists per game while earning the title as the Nuggets’ most accurate 3-point shooter this season, converting on 41.4% of his triples. Beasley averaged 11.3 points per game and wasn’t far behind Morris from 3, shooting 40.2% from distance on the year.

The Nuggets didn’t take home any hardware at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, the site of this year’s NBA Awards Show, but Denver made its presence felt. All three players who garnered votes for the Nuggets Monday are under the age of 24, and the Nuggets’ front office is stable and led by Connelly, who made his desire to stay in Denver long-term known this summer when he turned down an offer to run the Wizards. General manager Arturas Karnisovas, who was in attendance Monday along with Connelly and Malone, has also been instrumental in building Denver’s roster and deserves to be mentioned when discussing Connelly’s second-place finish in Executive of the Year voting. It’s an award that should reflect the last two or three years of roster construction, not just the past 12 months.

Their young nucleus and current leadership that includes Malone means the Nuggets have staying power atop the Western Conference. Jokic’s fourth-place finish in MVP voting makes him a favorite next season to finish in the top-3 and he should be viewed as a legitimate candidate to take home the honor in 2019-20. Morris and Beasley figure to be key contributors once again off Denver’s bench next season and bigger factors come playoff time than they were this year in both of their postseason debuts.

Taking home a well-deserved award would have been a proper end to the Nuggets’ breakthrough 2018-19. However, Denver and Jokic would trade any award for a season that extends further than the Western Conference semifinals next year.