The Houston Rockets may have made the flashiest move of the NBA offseason, but the Denver Nuggets were not far behind them and already had a leg up on Houston in the Western Conference.
In the playoffs last season, there was a very real case to be made that the Denver Nuggets were one of the top teams, despite not making it to even the Conference Finals.
They beat the LA Clippers in seven games before going the distance with the Oklahoma City Thunder, losing to them after multiple dramatic finishes.
While the Houston Rockets made the biggest move of the offseason by trading for Kevin Durant, the Nuggets added Cameron Johnson in a trade that saw them part with Michael Porter Jr. It wasn’t a massive blockbuster, but it might be enough to put them over the top, or at least remain ahead of the Rockets in the title race.
Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty ImagesNuggets and Rockets had the best summers in the NBA
While Durant, when healthy, is an All-NBA player, he is definitely past his prime and hasn’t impacted winning in a real capacity since his days with the Brooklyn Nets.
Still, the addition of Durant to the Rockets’ young core has them poised to take a leap, although the Nuggets are in a better position for one key reason.
Simply put, Nikola Jokic is the best player in the world and is easy to build around.
“I think Denver and the Houston Rockets have probably had the best summers,” Charles Barkley told The Denver Post, before admitting that he likes the Nuggets’ odds more than the Rockets’.
“Denver, they’ve got the best player in the world. They just needed some more depth. They kind of broke the team up after they won the first championship, and that’s really unfortunate. They’ve still got the best player. You want to give them as many opportunities as possible. But I thought they had a great summer.”
In addition to Johnson, the Nuggets added notable veterans Jonas Valanciunas, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Bruce Brown. DaRon Holmes II is also poised to make his debut after missing his rookie season.
Photo by Tim Warner/Getty ImagesNikola Jokic should propel Nuggets over Rockets
Last season, the Rockets finished two games ahead of the Nuggets, although they lost in the first round to the Golden State Warriors.
Rewriting history is a waste of time, although it’s hard to imagine Denver losing to Golden State.
Despite Houston being a better regular-season team, Denver has championship experience. Houston added that with Durant this summer, although their true core–aside from Fred VanVleet–has never really played winning basketball.
Denver is also built around the best player in the world, and the team carries itself as such. While Durant is the best scorer in Houston, is he the face of the franchise? There’s a strong case to be made that Alperen Sengun or Amen Thompson have him beat.
Houston could very easily finish second in the West again in the regular season, although the new-look Nuggets addressed their depth issues while leaning into their offensive strengths, and after taking the Thunder to seven games, they’ve already proven that they can hang with the very best. Houston is a step behind.