Entering this season, the Denver Nuggets were immediately vaulted into the top tier of contenders. After an aggressive overhaul that brought in Cameron Johnson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jonas Valanciunas, and the return of Bruce Brown, the roster looked built to shake the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s throne.
And why wouldn’t they? A season ago, they pushed OKC to seven games in the Western Conference semifinals despite a paper-thin bench and injuries that bothered them at the time. To most analysts, Nikola Jokic finally had the depth and firepower required to once again conquer the league.
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However, as the grind of the season progressed, the “cursed” injury bug bit hard once again. Despite the setbacks, Denver finished third in the West with 54 wins, only to be met with a cold shower in the first round. A shocking exit at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves prompted Tim Hardaway Sr. to offer a candid reality check on the team’s future.
“I think they have some decisions to make,” Hardaway said on “FanDuel TV’s Run It Back”. “Watson — are they gonna keep him? There’s chatter about Aaron Gordon and Murray, and what they want to do with them. But to me, when a team goes through a bunch of injuries, you need to let them run it back. They need to come back healthy and ready to go next season.”
“If I was the owner or the GM, I would want to run it back with that same crew healthy,” he added. “But we still have to brush up on things — the defense was terrible. The man-to-man defense wasn’t tough enough. I think they’ve got to go out there and hit somebody first instead of letting them get hit, falling down 15, and always having to claw their way back.”
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Back end of Jokers prime
Even when it became clear that Minnesota would be without Anthony Edwards and Ayo Dosunmu, and with Naz Reid hobbling on a compromised ankle, the Mile High City squad looked completely gassed.
For the first time, we saw the elite two-man game between Jokic and Jamal Murray neutralized. Without the defensive presence of the injured Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson, Denver’s coverage looked porous.
While some insist this was just a bad matchup, the reality is that a championship core has to beat this version of Minnesota. Now, the front office has to decide how to navigate the back end of Joker’s prime, as the three-time MVP is now 31 years old.
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“They still need consistent outside shooting,” Hardaway added. “I still think they need Tim Hardaway Jr. there to come off the bench and play a significant role. But again, if they were 100 percent healthy, I think they could have beaten the Timberwolves and moved on.”
This summer is easily the most critical of the Jokic era
On paper, this team seemed to have it all: depth, spacing and a proven backup for Jokic in Valanciunas. Yet, this postseason exposed how much they miss Watson when he’s sidelined. Watson is set to become a restricted free agent this summer, and with his stock at an all-time high, Denver’s limited cap space and the looming repeater tax make retaining him a massive headache.
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We have already written about moving Gordon, the heart and soul of the team, who has struggled with injuries and is also in the 30+ club. The early playoff knockout even prompted team owner Josh Kroenke to state that “everything is on the table, outside of trading Jokic”.
Denver might truly be just a few health-related adjustments away from glory, but this summer is easily the most critical one in the Jokic era. With the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons rising as young threats, and Oklahoma firmly established, Denver must decide whether running it back is a path to success or a recipe for stagnation.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.