The Denver Nuggets are in the midst of a playoff chase in the Western Conference. At 33-25, they are sixth in the conference. Their odds of being a playoff team are solid. But despite having one of the vest best players in the game, their championship odds are not very solid.

Nikola Jokic is enjoying another MVP-caliber season with an absolutely ludicrous stat line of 26.0 points, 13.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists while shooting 57.0 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from deep. The team around him has been solid yet somewhat shaky. The Nuggets' championship hopes don't seem great this season, even though it isn't necessarily their fault.

Absences from a few key Denver players have left the team without the requisite offensive firepower to compete at the highest level. They can survive the rest of the regular season like this but will not be able to go against the league's best defenses or keep pace with the best offenses like this. There are two burning questions for the Nuggets to answer as they look to address their need for high-level scorers.

2 burning questions for Nuggets after 2022 All-Star break

1. When will Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. return?

The Nuggets have posted the eighth-most efficient offense this season without their two most important non-Jokic scorers from last season. This is a great testament to the Joker's unreal skill. But once the playoffs roll around, Denver will need to get Murray and Porter.

Before the All-Star break, Mike Singer of the Denver Post reported that both players could be physically cleared to return before the regular season ends. Still, this wouldn't guarantee that they'd be ready to go went the playoffs roll around. They have both been absent for a long time and would have to ramp their conditioning up in order to play.

If Denver is fortunate enough to get them back, their chances in the playoffs will undoubtedly enhance. Murray's scoring off the bounce and playmaking are hugely important. He has developed stellar chemistry with Jokic. Porter doesn't have the isolation scoring prowess that Murray does, his shooting abilities are rare for someone his size (6-foot-10). Although he was very ineffective in the nine games he played this season, getting heal

Murray, who tore his ACL in April of 2021, could reasonably return next month. Porter, who is dealing with a back injury, has a less certain timetable. He has dealt with back problems in the past.

2. Can someone step up and be a true second star?

While Murray and Porter have shown the scoring chops to be true high-level sidekicks to Jokic, the Nuggets don't have other players who can contribute at a high level alongside their superstar center.

Aaron Gordon, Will Barton and Monte Morris have been the key players alongside Jokic. None of them average over 16 points per game but have all been productive. Barton has been a typical scorer and shooter off the wing, Gordon is a stout defender that can score inside and outside and Morris has been a strong playmaker and shooter.

Any of those three players could step up and take on a heftier role in order to stress defenses further. Gordon, who averaged 17.6 points a few seasons ago, seems like the player who is most equipped to do so. Offering a true second fiddle should make Jokic's life easier.

One other option Denver has is to feed Bryn Forbes more. The team acquired him from the San Antonio Spurs in a three-team trade. He is shooting 42.9 percent on 3-pointers since the trade. Using him as a catch-and-shoot threat more could also allow Gordon, Barton or Morris to operate with more space.

So far, the Nuggets have used Jokic as the offensive hub without relying on another player to shoulder a major scoring duty. Jokic is so good that they have been able to get away with it. Their ability to do so in the postseason won't fare as well.