Injuries Defined This Season
Injuries wrecked this season for the Denver Nuggets, which had potential if they were healthy. That said, most of the Nuggets Nation knew that there was a good chance their second best player, Jamal Murray, would not be returning this season from his ACL injury from early 2021. So, it actually could be a good thing that Michael Porter Jr. (who is another one of their better players) missed most of the season as well with a back injury. This is because missing last season gave both him and Murray a chance to sit for a year, so hopefully they come back very well rested next season. There has been some discussion about whether Michael Malone should remain Denver’s Head Coach or not. First of all, the Nuggets ended up with the sixth seed despite all of their injuries which is very good. They likely would not have been able to accomplish this without the excellent coaching that Malone has brought to Denver. Also, the Denver Nuggets culture that Malone has helped create is essential to any success the team has had since he’s been the coach (which is quite a bit). There is no way they should consider getting rid of Michael Malone at this time.
Other Guys Stepped Up
This season was mainly to get healthy and give some of the other role players a chance to shine and develop themselves more, such as standout rookie Bones Hyland. Some of the other players that really stepped up this season were guards Monte Morris and Austin Rivers. Also Jeff Green proved to be the solid addition he was expended to be. This development could prove to be useful next season as the bench will have the tools and the confidence to contribute more than they would without those extra minutes. The champion Golden-State Warriors had a similar situation the last couple of years. Klay Thomson, one of their best players, missed two straight seasons. Steph Curry also dealt with some injuries this year. With their star players missing time, they were actually able to improve their depth, as non-star players stepped up such as Kevon Looney and Andrew Wiggins. The most extreme case was Jordan Poole, who has emerged this playoffs as a potential all-star caliber player after spending time in the G-league in recent years. With Stephen Curry missing time, Jordan Poole filled in incredibly well and even played a bit like Curry at times. With any luck, the extra minutes some of Denver’s role players this season will turn the Nuggets into a deeper team like the Warriors.
NBA Draft
The Nuggets had the twenty first pick of this year’s draft. They drafted Christian Braun, an athletic six foot seven wing player who specializes in defense. Even with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter in the line-up, the Nuggets could really improve their defense. Braun is an excellent pickup in that sense, and their defense should be better just by adding Braun. This was a nice draft pick that should make the Nuggets a better team next season. Denver also needed to get a good defensive big man to protect the paint, as this is not Nikola Jokic’s strength. Ismael Kamagate is just that. Denver selected him in the second round. He is nearly seven feet tall, and has good instincts defending the paint. The problem with Kamagate is that he will likely play another year in Paris, where he was drafted from. When he is able to play, he should be a great fit in Denver.
Jokic Is Ready To Win Big
Denver was eliminated in the first round in the playoffs after gaining the sixth seed. There is no shame in this because they lost to the Golden-State Warriors who won the Finals. In that series, the Nuggets’ best player Nikola Jokic played excellently, averaging 28 points, 8.8 assists, and 15.8 rebounds. The highlight of this season was probably Jokic winning his second straight MVP award. A positive thing to take away from this season was that Jokic truly is ready to lead the Nuggets to the NBA Finals, if he just has enough help around him. He doesn’t need too much help, just more than he got in the last two seasons. He showed that he can thrive and produce when times get tough which is a very important trait for a star player to have.
If last season was mainly to allow Denver to rest up and prepare for next year, then next season they should be expected to win big, no excuses. If everyone stays healthy, they should be able to go to the Finals. This is definitely a lot of pressure, but they should be mentally and physically ready to handle it.
