3. Denver Nuggets
Last season’s record and finish: 54-28, 2nd place; 2nd round of the playoffs
Key Returning Players: Nikola Jokic, Paul Millsap, Jamal Murray, Gary Harris
Key Departing Players: Trey Lyles
Key Newcomers: Michael Porter Jr. (missed entire season to injury), Bol Bol
The Nuggets return nearly everyone from last season’s squad, which exceeded most expectations. Even though they were (and still are) one of the league’s youngest teams, they united behind MVP-candidate Jokic to gain valuable experience.
If Porter is healthy and lives up to his sky-high projections, the team could be even better this season. Jokic is the real deal, rivaling Joel Embiid as the NBA’s best big. Millsap is a tough competitor and Murray is still improving.
Most Vegas oddsmakers have them finishing between 4th and 6th, but many others forecast them higher. Sports Illustrated predicts they will have the best record in the West and will advance to the conference finals.
The reality probably lies somewhere in the middle. Following a successful season, young teams often encounter a bump in the road and don’t quite live up to loftier expectations. And Denver still lacks an obvious go-to guy down the stretch.
Bottom line: like most teams, they will find it tough to match up against the Lakers’ AD and LeBron. They still seem like a better regular-season team than a true threat to win the title.