After beating the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, the Denver Nuggets are heading into the All-Star break with a 35-20 record. Considering the injuries that this team has dealt with, sitting in third place in the Western Conference is certainly nothing to be upset about, even if their expectations for the season were a tad higher.

The Nuggets have been plagued by injuries this season, with Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, Cam Johnson, Peyton Watson, and Jonas Valanciunas all dealing with extended absences. The team has not been at full strength since the first 11 games of the season, but maybe the injury concerns will pay off.

After Wednesday’s game, Jokic talked about how their immense injury struggles can actually help them in the long run.

“Yes. I think DA [David Adelman] just said in the locker room, ‘everybody on our roster contributed in some moment of the season.’ Some guys won us a couple games that don’t play big minutes right now. Injuries definitely hurt us, but they definitely gave us something too,” Jokic said.

Nuggets’ supporting cast is stepping up

Most of the time for the Nuggets, all eyes are on Jokic and Jamal Murray, but a good chunk of their success this season can be attributed to their supporting cast. Players like Peyton Watson, Jalen Pickett, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Spencer Jones, just to name a few, have all come up huge for the Nuggets this season while they were dealing with extensive injuries.

Watson, for example, emerged as a rising star while Jokic, Braun, Johnson, and more were sidelined. In the month of January, the 23-year-old forward averaged 21.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game with 49.0/46.2/71.3 shooting splits. Watson even took home the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week award in early January, putting the entire league on notice.

NBA Players of the Week for Week 12.

West: Peyton Watson (@nuggets)
East: Scottie Barnes (@Raptors) pic.twitter.com/TfhcXvoJ3l

— NBA (@NBA) January 12, 2026

Watson got far more comfortable while the Nuggets were shorthanded, and now that he has found the best version of himself, he should be a legitimate difference-maker in a playoff series. The same goes for players like Jalen Pickett and Spencer Jones, who made a leap while the Nuggets were shorthanded, and will now be guys the Nuggets can lean on in their playoff rotation.

Of course, the injuries the Nuggets have dealt with this season have been unfortunate, but it is easy to find the silver lining. Everyone knows that the Nuggets can win a playoff series or two with Jokic and Murray leading the way, but with this good of a supporting cast, there is no reason why they cannot win a championship.

It will be interesting to see how the team comes together after the All-Star break, but there are plenty of reasons to stay optimistic.

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