The Denver Nuggets grinded through one of the unluckiest seasons in the NBA a year ago and still managed to record 33 wins. Now they enter the 2016-17 season with an increased optimism that they could contend for a playoff spot if they can stay healthy and perform to their potential. The Nuggets had several key players miss substantial chunks of last season with Wilson Chandler missing the entire year, Danilo Gallinari missing the majority of the second half and Jusuf Nurkic missing most of the year. Those players will need to stay healthy in order to have any shot at improving in the standings in 2016-17 led a young core that appears destined to improve in the Western Conference.
Offseason Changes
D.J. Augustin and Joffrey Lauvergne were both deemed expendable in the off-season as Denver remained focused on adding young talent while waiting on their injured pieces to return. Jamal Murray has the potential to be a superstar as the seventh-overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and should have an immediate impact off the bench while Malik Beasley and Juan Hernangomez should provide improved depth from the outset. The Nuggets passed on a handful of veteran free agents, which is a sign that they are confident in the development of their talented young core both in the immediate and near future.
Strengths
The return to health of several key players has created a strong level of depth across the board for this roster. That is particularly true about Denver’s frontcourt where Gallinari, Nurkic, Kenneth Faried, Nikola Jokic and Wison Chandler can all play substantial minutes. Gallinari has the potential to be an All-Star while players like Faried and Chandler could be that much more effective in depth roles coming off the bench. Denver should be one of the better rebounding teams in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Nuggets added to a quality backcourt with the selection of Murray in the first round. Will Barton had a breakout year in 2015-16 while Emmanuel Mudiay showed flashes as a rookie. Factor in the presence of Gary Harris and Jameer Nelson and Denver’s backcourt has suddenly become very crowded.
Weaknesses
The Denver Nuggets have considerable depth across the board but they lack the type of superstar talent that so many of the top teams in the NBA own. That’s probably why we saw them court Dwyane Wade so hard. They were hoping to get that superstar-type of talent; someone who has experience and can guide a young roster. They whiffed with Wade and are still clearly lacking this type of asset.
Denver also lacks a true go-to player to turn to in clutch situations so it will be interesting to see who has the ball in their hands at the end of games. Nelson is getting up there in years so it will be interesting to see if he is passed by Mudiay and Murray on the depth chart. Nelson isn’t the same player he once was but Mudiay and Murray are still both very young. Health was a major concern for this team a year ago and durability could be an issue again with so many players on the roster that do have notable injury histories. Denver’s roster is loaded with athleticism but there is definitely room for improvement in terms of its pure scoring ability, especially when it comes to the three-point shooting.
Outlook
There is plenty of room for optimism when it comes to the direction of this franchise including potential future stars in players like Murray and Mudiay. The Denver Nuggets had trouble staying healthy a year ago, so better luck from a health perspective should help their overall potential but this still might not be a playoff team. Denver will have an uphill climb in the loaded Western Conference – especially considering they are playing out of a loaded division that also features Oklahoma City, Portland, Minnesota and Utah. There will be reasons for optimism in 2016-17, just don’t expect the Denver Nuggets to be a playoff team just yet this season. A successful season for them would be to determine if they have made adequate growth as a team and have laid the foundation for the future.
Prediction: 5th in Northwest Division; 12th in Western Conference
