Every time the Denver Nuggets have Nikola Jokic on the court, they become unstoppable. Jokic, together with his running mate Jamal Murray, harnesses the full power of the starters to create an offense that not many teams have an answer to.
However, recent seasons have shown that this strength also proved to be the team’s ultimate downfall. The Nuggets, lacking depth, have become too reliant on the three-time MVP’s game during the regular season. According to league stats, they tallied a -9.3 net rating when Jokic was off the floor.
Denver’s front office sought to solve this problem during the offseason by adding Jonas Valanciunas, Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Cam Johnson. Witnessing the team during training camp, Murray expressed confidence that these moves have worked.
But shockingly, for him, the current roster does not remind him of the 2023 championship Nuggets, but instead, their team during the 2020 NBA bubble. The Canadian guard believes that having a deeper bench will make all the difference in the Nuggets’ redemption bid this year.
“It actually reminds me of 2020 more, just with some of the weapons that we had off the bench and stuff,” he said on Day 2 of training camp. “Personally, that’s what I kind of relate it to, so I think it’s going to be really fun.”
How good was the 2020 Nuggets team?
It’s a wonder Jamal would liken this year’s squad to the 2020 team. After all, the 2023 Nuggets won the franchise its first-ever title. However, people seemed to have forgotten how good Denver was that season.
Under former head coach Mike Malone, the Nuggets finished third in the Western Conference with a 46-27 record in the 2019-2020 season.
In the playoffs, Denver overcame the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers in the first and second rounds, respectively, clawing from 3-1 deficits in both series. However, they would lose to the eventual 2020 champions, the L.A. Lakers, in five games.
Although this team didn’t win the chip, Murray said its depth made them a team to beat. Seeing this level of depth again this year, he expressed his excitement over the bench’s potential to stand out during the season.
“We just had a lot of different guys who could just come in and fill any role,” he said. “I feel like that’s how we are right now, guys are really interchangeable and yeah, it should be fun.”
Murray loves the team depth
We have seen what Denver’s starting lineup – composed of Jokic, Murray, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Michael Porter Jr. – can do. Now we take a look at the revamped bench.
Valanciunas, with his size, decent passing, and rebounding, will be a solid backup for Jokic. Brown is expected to reprise his role as the “glue guy” with his return. Hardaway Jr. will provide more reliable shooting options for the team.
“I think that’s going to be really good for us,” Murray said. “Just having all of these different weapons in different spots, we can have one of the best benches in the league.”
Meanwhile, Johnson will fill MPJ’s spot as Denver’s main sniper with an added defensive boost. He’s set to elevate the Nuggets’ starting five and increase the team’s overall 3-point shooting.
“I think we’re just going to be really well-rounded,” he continued. “We’re going to surprise a lot of people with how much talent we have.”
Denver’s championship window opens once again because of a bolstered roster. Of course, Jokic, Murray and the other starters must be consistent. However, success will ultimately depend on how much the Nuggets’ bench steps up this year.