The Denver Nuggets offense, while starting off the year with a few key injuries in the rotation, has managed to stay afloat as one of the best in the NBA through the first six weeks of this season.
They’re averaging a league-best 125 points a night, have the best offensive rating in the NBA (126.0) for a number that skyrockets past their efficiency from last season, and thanks to the explosiveness of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, have been a consistent problem for opposing defenses this year.
For an offense that was already among the league’s best last season, seeing this group take an even further step forward is one of the more eye-catching statistical feats within the NBA to start the first 20 games of the year. So what’s the key to that success?
Nikola Jokic Talks Nuggets’ Offensive Success
In the mind of Jokic, that leap on the offensive end can be attributed to the wide range of scoring options stepping up the roster; both in the starting and second unit.
“I think [it’s] different nights, different guys,” Jokic said of the Nuggets’ offensive improvement. “Like, Spencer [Jones] had two really good nights, Cam [Johnson] had a couple of good nights, Jamal [Murray], me. Even when the guys are out– Tim [Hardaway] had seven threes.”
“So I think, there’s always somebody to step up and give us the energy that we need.
In the Nuggets’ latest victory over the Indiana Pacers, that success just so happened to start with Jamal Murray, as he put together a wildly efficient 52-point performance with just six missed shots from the field on the night, while Jokic was able to take a bit more of a backseat as a scorer, even while rattling off 24 of his own.
Apr 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) during overtime against the LA Clippers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
But it’s not just Murray stepping up to the occasion offensively while Denver is down two starters in Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun, it’s a bundle of names in the starting five and down the rotation as well.
Tim Hardaway Jr. caught fire in their 130-112 road win vs. Phoenix with seven threes. Cam Johnson’s finally begun to catch his stride in the starting lineup, and undrafted two-way standout Spencer Jones has proven why he’s more than deserving of a standard NBA contract.
With those guys stepping up next to the offensive engine that is Jokic who’s bound to put together a near-triple-double on a nightly basis, the Nuggets haven’t lost a step offensively, and actually seemed to have even taken a step further despite their early-season injury issues.
Time will tell if that elite efficiency will keep up heading deeper into the season, but so far, so good for the Nuggets’ offense.
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