The NBA was just shocked once again. Not even a week after a new champion was crowned, more breaking NBA news was released. The Los Angeles Lakers finally pulled off a trade for Anthony Davis. While many speculate about the futures of the Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans, there is one aspect that is going overlooked. How does this trade affect other contending Western Conference teams? Teams such as the Denver Nuggets?
The Denver Nuggets Should Not Fear…Yet
A lot of this will come down to what happens in free agency and the NBA Draft. While trading for Davis does put the Lakers back in the post-season hunt, the Denver Nuggets are still a favorite to be a high seed next year. With Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant being out for most of next year, the West is wide open. The Denver Nuggets are still a more well-constructed team in terms of depth and chemistry compared to the Lakers.
Denver was able to make it to the second round of the playoffs this past season despite being the youngest team in the postseason. They also took the Portland Trail Blazers, a team with plenty of playoff experience, to seven games. Denver has arguably the best young core in the league whereas Los Angeles just gutted their roster to get a second star. For right now, there is no need for Denver and their fans to fret quite yet.
There is Still a Lot of Off-Season Left
Free agency has not even started yet. Vegas is already betting on the Lakers landing a third star. If they do form a big three, then Los Angeles will become the favorites depending on who they land. Suddenly, the Nuggets will go back to underdog status, but that is okay. Denver seemed to thrive as an underdog in many games last season.
Depth is key in today’s league and the Lakers still need a lot of it despite landing Anthony Davis. We just saw the Toronto Raptors dethrone the Warriors partly by being a deeper team. Sure, Toronto had its stars in Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, and even Marc Gasol. But it was their depth which proved key in the series as the Warriors did not have much outside of their superstar lineup. Role players like Fred VanVleet, Serge Ibaka, and Danny Green were just as instrumental as the stars for the Raptors.
The Potential Future
Let’s say the Lakers land Kemba Walker or Kyrie Irving to pair with Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Denver still seems like the more complete team. We are not even sure what L.A.’s second unit will consist of yet. However, we have a good idea about Denver’s bench. On the Nuggets’ bench, there is a lot of young talent who have shown they can play well. Players like Malik Beasley, Torrey Craig, and Monte Morris. As alluded to earlier, we do not even know who or what the Lakers’ bench will look like come next year. Call me crazy, but I will take my chances on a bench led by Beasley than one led by Alex Caruso.
Not to mention, the Nuggets have Michael Porter coming next year. A player who could be the steal of last year’s draft if he lives anything up to his Kevin Durant like ceiling. We already know about Nikola Jokic and his ability to average a near triple-double for the season, just look at his season averages. Plus, Jamal Murray is coming off a season where he averaged career highs of 18.2 points per game and 4.8 assists per game. Sure, the Lakers are a playoff team now. However, the Denver Nuggets and other playoff teams from last year are still better equipped for a seven-game series.
Main Photo: DENVER, CO – NOVEMBER 13: Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets reacts in the waning minutes against the Houston Rockets during the second half of the Rockets’ 109-99 win on Monday, November 13, 2018. The Denver Nuggets hosted the Houston Rockets at the Pepsi Center. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
