The Denver Nuggets Futures Odds (BetDSI Sportsbook)
Denver Nuggets to win the Northwest Division: +350
Denver Nuggets to win the Western Conference: +6600
Denver Nuggets to win the NBA Championship: +10000
Denver Nuggets Season Total Win Prediction: Total 43.5 (Over -125, Under -105)
The Denver Nuggets finished the last campaign with 40 wins, and they were only a victory behind the 8th placed Portland Trail Blazers, who managed to squeeze into the playoffs ahead of the Nuggets in a quite interesting end of the regular season. Three defeats out of the last five home games pretty much sealed Denver’s fate, so they had to settle for the 9th position. Unlike the previous years, when the Nuggets were fantastic at home and struggled away from the Pepsi Center, they balanced their home/away form in 2016/17, but in the end, a few unexpected home losses cost them a playoff spot.
The team’s chemistry was evidently high as coach Michael Malone managed to form healthy atmosphere at the club and gave a chance to every player on the roster. One of the players who exploded and impressed last year was Nikola Jokic, the center who was voted the second most improved player behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Serbian emerged as one of the top big guys in the NBA and even broke several records along the way. He is one of the most valuable players in the league at the moment, and the Nuggets will surely rely on him heavily in 2017/18. With Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari, Jokic and the Nuggets played very well but lacked consistency, and that has to change if they want to see the postseason this time around.
However, Gallinari is not Denver’s player anymore as they traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers, but they received experienced Paul Millsap in return from Atlanta, so it cannot be said that it was a turbulent offseason at Mile-High City as that was the only significant move.
Read on to find out more about the Denver Nuggets offseason moves and the 2017/2018 futures and props brought to you by BetDSI Sportsbook. Also, don’t forget to visit our Get More Sports website for more NBA teams season previews.
The 2017/2018 Denver Nuggets Roster
Arrivals: Vlatko Cancar, Torrey Craig, Tyler Lydon, Monte Morris, Paul Millsap, Trey Liles.
Departures: Danilo Gallinari, Roy Hibbert, Mike Miller.
At the No. 13 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Denver Nuggets selected the Louisville shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, but they immediately traded him to Utah Jazz for rookie Tyler Lydon and Trey Liles. VlatkoCancar was selected as the No. 49 pick overall but he will spend the next season with his current team Mega Leks in Serbia, the same team from where Nikola Jokic came to Denver. Monte Morris was taken as the No. 51 pick overall, and he signed a two-way contract so he will spend the most of the season in the NBA G-League. Denver already has plenty of point guards on the roster, so in case of possible injuries, Morris could jump in. The similar situation is with Torrey Craig, the shooting forward who joined the Nuggets from Gold Coast Rollers of Australia, and he will also be designated to the G-league team. The only rookie who will get a chance with the Nuggets is Tyler Lydon, but with current competition for the power forward position, I don’t think he will have a significant role in his rookie season.
Trey Lyles, who came in a trade with the Jazz, could get some playing time throughout the year, but he will also face fierce competition for the PF place as Paul Millsap, Kenneth Faried, and Juan Hernangomezare all ahead of him in the pecking order. The former Kentucky player appeared in 71 games for Utah last year, averaging 6.2 ppg and 3.3 rpg in 16.3 mpg, so he can be a useful backup if one of the players mentioned above suffers an injury.
However, the biggest reinforcement for the Nuggets this offseason is undoubtedly Paul Millsap. The four-time All-Star signed a multi-year contract this July after spending the previous four years with the Atlanta Hawks. The 32-year-old will add more experience to the roster, and although the Nuggets lost Gallinari, they will be even better in the paint now. Millsap averaged 18.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 3.7 apg, and 1.3 spg in 69 matches last year and his style of play will suit Jokic, as two of them can form an outstanding duo. He will wear the #4 jersey for his new team.
| PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
| Jameer Nelson | Gary Harris | Wilson Chandler | Paul Millsap | Nikola Jokic |
| Jamal Murray | Will Barton | Tyler Lydon | Kenneth Faried | Mason Plumlee |
| Emmanuel Mudiay | Malik Beasley | Juan Hernangomez | Darrell Arthur | |
| Trey Liles |
Denver’ biggest loss in this offseason was Danilo Gallinari’s departure as he left to the Los Angeles Clippers after five and a half years at the Pepsi Center. Gallo is a fantastic player and will surely be missed in Denver; after all, he led the team in points (18.2 ppg) last season. Furthermore, the Nuggets were left with only one legit small forward, Wilson Chandler, but there are other players who can jump in and play at the position. Still, Gallinari left a big gap when he left as a part of a three-team trade that saw Jamal Crawford and Diamond Stone to Atlanta, while Denver got the 2019 second round pick from the Hawks. The Nuggets had to send Gallo away in order to free more space in the salary cap for Paul Millsap and whether it was a mistake it remains to be seen, but I believe they made a good choice, after all, and Millsap will be a big hit in Colorado.
Roy Hibbert also left the Nuggets following a disappointing year and his arrival from the Milwaukee Bucks. The Former Indiana Pacer averaged just 4.6 ppg and 3.2 rpg in 14.2 mpg and is no surprise that Denver decided to let him go. He is currently a free agent and once a great talent is facing problems in finding a new team. Finally, the Nuggets waived the veteran Mike Miller, who spent the previous couple of years as a reserve player and recorded only two starts in that span. The three-point specialist didn’t make an impact during his stay at Pepsi Center, but he became a fan favorite because of his great personality.
The Nuggets extended Mason Plumlee’s contract and that’s the fantastic news for their fans as the 27-year-old proved to be a solid option below the rims. Although his minutes dropped a bit following his arrival from Portland, Plumlee managed to average 10.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg, and 1.1 bpg, and will make an excellent frontcourt together with Jokic, Millsap, and Faried. Denver is quite strong in that segment of the game but may struggle when it comes to small forward positions. As I already said, the only classic SF on the roster is Wilson Chandler and he will certainly be one of the key players, alongside Millsap and Jokic. Chandler averaged 15.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg, and 2.0 apg, but he also served as a power forward on numerous occasions last year. However, I don’t think that will be the case this season.
Will Barton is one of the players who can serve as SF if needed and could be one of the candidates for the sixth player of the year. Barton experienced two excellent seasons at Denver, and in the previous one, he averaged 13.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, and 3.4 apg in 28.4 mpg. He is a solid option at SG and SF positions, while Gary Harris will be the starting shooting guard. The 22-year-old became an integral part of this team and he is ahead of Barton and Malik Beasley on the depth chart. That’s exactly Denver’s biggest quality; they have at least two excellent players at each position and the important thing is that all of them are getting a chance to play.
And what to say about point guards, the Nuggets have a pair of very talented players to run the backcourt – Jamal Murray (20) and Emmanuel Mudiay (21). Although Mudiay’s numbers took a slight hit last season, he is still quite young and can improve, while Murray proved his worth in a rookie year, averaging 9.9 ppg, 2.6rpg, and 2.1 apg, and on top of that, he was named the MVP of the 2017 Rising Stars Challenge. Jameer Nelson is nominated starter at the PG position, but all three of them will split minutes as it was the case last year.
The Bottom Line and Total Win Prediction
The Nuggets finished in the 4th place in the Northwest Division in 2016/17, while Utah, Oklahoma, and Portland all made the playoffs. This time around, I think Denver is stronger than the Blazers and Jazz, but Minnesota is also a lot better now. I believe the Nuggets will fight with the Thunder and Wolves for the divisional title and they could end the year between the 6th and 8th position in the West. Also, I think they can record up to 45 wins and will gladly take the BetDSI Sportsbook margin set at 43.5 wins and opt for Over. Denver has a highly talented squad and it’s the right time for these guys to enter the playoffs.
Season total wins: Over 43.5 wins (-125)
