The NBA preseason has come to a close, and the regular season begins this Tuesday evening. The reigning champion Denver Nuggets will host the Los Angeles Lakers at Ball Arena on Tuesday, starting at 5:30 MST. Denver ended the preseason 3-2 while giving their starters to play sparingly during those five games. In those games, they faced a few Western Conference powerhouses and should feel good about getting back to the new season. But how will the Denver Nuggets look to repeat as champions in the postseason?
With the regular season about to begin, the Nuggets look poised for another dominant season. Can they do it again?
How the Denver Nuggets Can Repeat as Champions
1. Keeping Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic Healthy
Ultimately, the Denver Nuggets go as far as this dynamic duo goes. While Nikola Jokic has been healthy for the majority of his career, Jamal Murray has suffered setbacks in his NBA career. With how well both of these players played in last year’s postseason, their main priority should be to monitor these two as much as they can.
For Nikola Jokic, it is imperative that he continues to do what he did last year. With his passing, rebounding, and scoring abilities, defenses tend to key on him more than anyone else on this Denver squad. While this may make it easier for his teammates to score and get involved, it also places pressure on Jokic. If he is asked to do too much, his body may be too tired or worn down later on in the season. Fortunately, Jokic has shown that he is willing to take on the task as the “triple option.” To maintain his health, the Denver staff will have to decide how much to play him every game, and if he can sustain that level for the regular season and postseason afterward.
In contrast, Jamal Murray has dealt with injuries in the past. While some have been minor, others have caused him to miss significant time or the entire season. The good news is Murray showed last season that he can give you a full season, but injuries are things that cannot be prepared for, in essence. His role on the team is two-fold: be a dominant scorer and get others involved as the point guard. Last season, he did just that, in the regular and postseason. The key for Murray will not only be his health, but whether or not his play can be duplicated this season. This team will need both Jokic and Murray in order to make another championship run.
2. Elevating the roles of the “others” such as Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will help a championship run
While Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray will garner most of the opposition’s attention, the other three starters will have their chance to dominate, have isolation situations, and open shots. Michael Porter Jr. is considered this team’s third option, and he shows moments where he can be even better than that. However, there are other moments where he isn’t. If Michael can score consistently, and at a high efficiency while staying healthy, this Denver Nuggets team will be extremely hard to beat.
Aaron Gordon’s role on this team will be to do the hard work. This means usually defending the team’s best player, rebounding alongside Jokic, and taking advantage of open shots/mismatches. In the grand scheme, he isn’t going to have to score the ball at a high clip. Jokic, Murray, and Porter Jr. should be doing most of that, but when his name is called, he will be prompted to take his fair share of shots.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s role on this team will be to hit open threes, primarily. With the other starters drawing attention, KCP should be getting open looks throughout the game. Other teams in the league have to worry about doubling Jokic, Murray, and containing MPJ. The only other thing that KCP may have to do is guard the other team’s best guard. Because he won’t have to shoot too much or take on any other grand role, he’ll be able to have energy on the defensive end. If he can make his shots, he’ll also be a factor on the floor.
3. Keeping the minutes spread along the starters and bench can help a repeat championship run
Like last season, the Denver Nuggets will need to have a solid bench. When the players from the second unit came in, they had to hold down the fort. Balancing the starters and bench’s minutes is imperative for any team trying to make a championship run. In this regard, the Nuggets have done a good job during the past few seasons. If the second unit can keep the energy from the first unit, this team should be playing postseason basketball again.
From what the Denver Nuggets have shown during this preseason, and last year’s postseason, they should be the favorites. Although the Western Conference and Eastern Conference got much better, Denver didn’t lose any of their key core starting five. Their bench play can be the same if not better than last season. The points listed in this article show how the Denver Nuggets can repeat as champions.
Although other powerhouse teams got stronger, those teams will have to prove they are better than Denver. Unless a complete collapse takes place, this team’s ceiling is another ring. Other teams will have to bring their best against this team, especially in a seven-game series.
