2018-2019 Denver Nuggets Preview: Bet The Over


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2017-18 Record: 46-36 (ninth in Western Conference)

Players Added: Isaiah Thomas (free agent), Michael Porter Jr. (draft), Jarred Vanderbilt (draft), Thomas Welsh (draft)

Players Lost: Darrell Arthur (trade), Wilson Chandler (trade), Kenneth Faried (trade), Devin Harris (free agent), Isaiah Whitehead (waived), Richard Jefferson (free agent)

Projected Team MVP: Nikola Jokic

Without rehashing too much of the Jokic debate you see on NBA Twitter once a month, he is very good at basketball. He’s a savvy offensive player and one of the best passing big men to ever live, and when Denver has him camp out in the high post and orchestrate their high-powered offense, it’s a sight to behold.

Does he have his flaws? Of course. Jokic isn’t an especially good defender, he’s awfully slow, and so much of his game is predicated on his skill to make up for the fact that he’s not a particularly good athlete. But on the nights in which Jokic is cooking, he’s an absolute magician, and Denver’s offense is among the best in the league.

The Nuggets have a whole bunch of really, really good basketball players on their team, and you can make a case for someone like Paul Millsap or Jamal Murray to be the team’s MVP. Jokic is the straw that stirs the drink, though, so he gets the love.

X-Factor: Isaiah Thomas

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The Nuggets are a weird team because its success will ultimately be determined by their starting five of Murray, Gary Harris, Will Barton, Millsap, and Jokic above everything else. While it’d be really nice if someone could turn into a stout perimeter defender, Denver’s offense is its calling card, so let’s go with their big offseason acquisition who, theoretically, could make their offense even more potent.

You already know that Thomas’ 2017-18 season was decidedly really bad. He took a major step back following his All-NBA campaign with the Boston Celtics a year prior, as a lingering hip injury and generally weird fits with the Cavaliers and Lakers led to him having a brutal year.

Denver is banking on Thomas, who has undergone surgery to hopefully fix his hip issues, returning close to his 2016-17 form, which would be terrifying. Will that happen? Who knows! But if it is, Denver will have a dynamic, dangerous point guard as their sixth man. If not? Well, they’ll still probably drop 130+ points in multiple games this year.

Best Case Scenario:

Relatively speaking, Denver is in the most winnable division in the Western Conference, even if all five teams have legitimate playoff aspirations. Winning the Northwest might realistically be challenging for that reason, but if the defense can be league-average, the offense is so good that it can push Utah and Oklahoma City. But this is the best case scenario, so we’ll say that happens and the Nuggets are able to secure a top-3 spot in the Western Conference.

Denver isn’t going to win the West, as we’re on a collision course for Rockets-Warriors II, but if all breaks right, they can make a conference semifinal run and push either of those teams in the conference semis. But if everyone plays healthy and their defense surprises, who knows? The Nuggets can be really fun this season.

Worst Case Scenario:

Something similar to last year: An injury to a starter makes them scramble, and with how competitive the division is, Denver finds itself on the outside looking in once the playoffs roll around. Even if they stay healthy, for how good their offense is, the defense of the Nuggets has the potential to be a major problem. They’ll score plenty of points, but there will be nights where their inability to get stops will lead to some hilarious final scores, of which they’re on the losing side.

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