For years, the Denver Nuggets had struggled to maintain any sort of offense when Nikola Joki was off the floor – this is a huge reason why he’s won three MVPs. That changed in a significant way when the Nuggets upgraded their depth this summer. Even still, I don’t think the biggest Nuggets fan would have expected the roster outside of Joki to be this good.
When Joki went down with a multi-week knee injury in late December, everyone was (rightfully) wondering how the Nuggets would be able to stay afloat without the consensus best player in the world. So far, though, the Nuggets are 6-3 without Joki and still have a top-10 offense. Some of their wins in this stretch include beating the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, and Toronto Raptors, all on the road. Denver is currently the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. In the previous five seasons the Nuggets were 13-23 in games without Joki.
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Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon have been crucial
Denver Nuggets | David Berding/GettyImages
What’s made this run by Denver more impressive is that backup center Jonas Valaninas also got injured two games after Joki, so the Nuggets have done all of this without a traditional center. But when you look at how this team has stepped up without their bigs, the picture starts to become clearer.
A lot of the factors have gone into the Nuggets’ success without Joki. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t start with Jamal Murray. For years, Murray started regular seasons slowly before exploding in the playoffs. However, Murray has been amazing all year. Without Joki, Murray is averaging 28.7 points, 10 assists, and 5.2 rebounds on 46.9/40.4/91.2 shooting splits.
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Murray’s ability to provide first-option-level scoring production without Joki and run the offense as a lead playmaker is a massive advantage for the Nuggets. It’s always been clear that Murray is a gifted scorer, but his ability to make the right reads while receiving immense defensive pressure has stood out to me during this stretch.
It’s safe to say, The Blue Arrow will make the All-Star team for the first time in his career.
Aaron Gordon’s return is another key factor for Denver. Gordon is averaging 17.8 points in the six games he’s played since returning from his own injury. The 6-foot-8 forward provides a ton of value as a secondary creator and versatile defender.
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The Nuggets’ depth is truly a weapon
Denver Nuggets | Garrett Ellwood/GettyImages
Still, both Murray and Gordon have missed three games each in the nine games without Joki. The Nuggets are 2-1 in games where one of these players has missed. In one of these games, both players were out, and the Nuggets managed to beat the 76ers in overtime. That’s truly incredible.
Peyton Watson has impressed me a ton this year, and especially during this stretch without Joki. It’s always been clear that Watson is a highly impactful and versatile defender. However, his offensive growth has been incredible this season. Watson is averaging 23.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists on 51/43.8/73.7 shooting splits without the Joker.
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On the season overall, Watson’s 13.8 ppg is a notable increase from his 8.1 pgg last year. His improved 3-point shooting, self-creation, and ball handling all jump off the screen. It will be tough financially, but the Nuggets should prioritize bringing Watson back this offseason because he’s one of the team’s most important players on both ends of the court.
The contributions of Tim Hardaway Jr., Zeke Nnaji, Spencer Jones, Jalen Pickett, and Hunter Tyson have all been notable as well. Head coach David Adelman deserves a lot of credit for getting the most out of his players.
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It was always clear that this was the deepest roster the Nuggets have had in the Joki-era. Regardless, this level of depth was truly unexpected, and it makes Denver the biggest threat to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In fact, I am going to go out on a limb and say the Nuggets will win it all this season. They took the Thunder to seven games last season and have an incredibly balanced roster around the league’s best player. Overall, this stretch of games only further proves that the Nuggets have a legitimate chance to win the championship this season.
This article was originally published on www.fansided.com as The Nuggets are proving they’re a lot more than just Nikola Joki.