The Denver Nuggets have made significant changes in the 2025 offseason, which have given them a chance at beating the Oklahoma City Thunder. Their rotation can compete with the defending champions, and the Nuggets believe they could become even better.
In the 2025 Playoffs, the Denver Nuggets were one of the two teams that pushed the Oklahoma City Thunder to the brink of elimination. A fantastic series from Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic nearly pushed the Nuggets to beat the Thunder, but they fell in a do-or-die Game 7.
Oklahoma City would eventually become the champions after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals and barely scraping past the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals.
After losing, the Nuggets immediately went back to the drawing board and identified the moves they needed to make. This included the trade that sent Michael Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets for Cameron Johnson, one of the offseason’s best moves.
Photo by David Berding/Getty ImagesStrawther believes the Nuggets have the league’s best starting lineup
While he is not a starter, Julian Strawther has seen plenty of potential with the Nuggets’ starters during training camp. He knows they could become the best five-man lineup in the league, as four of them have all played together for multiple years.
“I felt like we (the second unit) gelled really well, the energy is super high, we’re all excited to play with each other. So many great players that can do so many great things. I’m excited to see that grow, and I think we can do something special,” Strawther said during day four of training camp.
“They (the starters) look pretty sharp. It looks like they’ve been playing with each other all summer. That’s great, but we know we have the best starting five in the league. We know that, and the emphasis is to be a strong bench unit for them.”
At the same time, Johnson is a fantastic addition and a good replacement for Porter. Johnson has been known as a superb plug-and-play option during his career, and he could unlock the Nuggets’ potential in the 2025-26 season.
Denver still has the core trio of Murray, Jokic, and Gordon to spearhead the charge. Christian Braun also had a fantastic 2024-25 season, so he could become a crucial member of the core.
With Johnson added, everyone is impressed with the team’s depth, including Gordon, who has seen some great players in training camp.
The rest of the team believes in the Nuggets’ potential
Strawther and Gordon are not the only ones who are raving about the Nuggets’ potential in the 2025-26 season. They are stacked with talent throughout the lineup after their big changes, as Jonas Valanciunas, Bruce Brown, and Tim Hardaway Jr. are now playing for the Nuggets.
During the media day proceedings, Murray talked about how the team feels refreshed after a long summer. They are coming into the 2025-26 season with a refreshed outlook, especially since they are hungry for success again.
“Everybody came back fresh, not only physically but mentally. I think that’s the biggest thing. The body follows the mind, so everybody is in good spirits, and we had a good couple of days,” Murray said after day 2 of training camp.
“Coming off a loss to the champs, having a long offseason, I think not just me, but everybody had a chance to recoup and regenerate and come to this training camp with a goal in mind.”
With everyone feeling good about the starting lineup, it will be an exciting campaign for the Nuggets as they look to dethrone their Western Conference rivals.