With success comes expectation.
After dominating last years playoffs in route to the first championship in Nuggets history, Denver again finds itself in uncharted territory – The defense of a title. Don’t get it twisted, this isn’t a one hit wonder on our hands. The Nuggets still have the best player in the world, and the best starting lineup in the league. If anything, they have a bigger advantage this year with their newfound experience.
So what should the expectations be with this team?
3 Championships.
Minimum.
Every championship team’s window is different. Some teams, like the 2019 Toronto Raptors with Kawhi, only lasts one year. Others, like the Tim Duncan led Spurs, can last more than a decade. So where does this Nuggets team fall?
Well, for my money, as long as Nikola Jokic is on the team, the Nuggets have a shot every year. He’s a transcendent talent that makes everyone he plays with better, but that’s no secret. What has gone under the radar is the unbelievable roster construction around Jokic by past and present GM’s Tim Connelly and Calvin Booth. Not only have these two men surrounded the Joker with shooters and defense in this current iteration of a championship contender, they have built a pipeline of the same for the future.
Jamal Murray, KCP, MPJ, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic is as close to the perfect combination of players you could possibly put on the court at one time. Every one of them compliments each other in the best possible way. This starting unit, along with Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and some combination of Reggie Jackson/Zeke Nnaji/DeAndre Jordan, will once again be the best 8 man rotation in this years playoffs. Barring injury, not going back-to-back and winning another championship this year will be a huge missed opportunity.
Looking past this year, there will be some tough decisions to make.
Scrutinizing the Nuggets contract situation going forward, one thing becomes clear:
Denver will have to eventually choose between KCP, MPJ, and Aaron Gordon. Keeping 1 is a guarantee, retaining 2 seems likely, but signing all 3 to an extension after their current contracts expire will be nearly impossible. Despite this unfortunate reality, Denver is in a good spot to compete for championships for the foreseeable future. Not only because of their current talent, but because of their young assets I previously alluded to.
Peyton Watson, Christian Braun, Julian Strawther, and Zeke Nnaji are all under team control for at least another 2 years. I’ve told you what I think about Watson’s potential. Christian Braun already showed us as a 21 year old rookie he’s an asset in the playoffs. And Zeke Nnaji and Julian Strawther have both shown there’s reason to be optimistic about them contributing meaningful minutes for the Nuggets in the future.
Bottom line, Denver has put themselves in a position that every NBA team should be enviable of – Being able to realistically chase championships for years to come.
So yes, winning 1 championship was great…
Now?
Winning anything less than 3 championships should be considered a massive failure.
-Mustache Man
