The Denver Nuggets are hoping the 2022-23 season is the campaign where everything comes together. After making a run all the way to the Western Conference Finals during the 2020 NBA bubble, the Nuggets have dealt with tons of injuries and attrition that has prevented them from making a deep playoff run since then.

This season should be different, though. They have the best player in basketball in Nikola Jokic leading the way, and will also be seeing stars Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. return after their various injury woes. Considering how much Jokic has had to do on his own over the past two seasons, that will be a welcome sight for the Nuggets.

Denver has title aspirations this season, and rightfully so. There's a lot of hope that the return of these two key players will help the Nuggets accomplish their main goals this season, and lead them on a deep playoff run. But there are a lot of potential roadblocks in front of Denver that could prevent them from winning a championship, so let's take a look at the two main reasons the Nuggers won't win the 2023 NBA Finals.

2. The Nuggets rotation still has some big holes

For the most part, the Nuggets have a fairly deep rotation. With Murray and Porter back, that will allow players to play in roles meant for them, rather than forcing bench guys into the starting lineup to fill in for those two. But there are holes throughout their bench that could flare up as the season progresses.

The first three guys off the bench for the Nuggets will be Bones Hyland, Bruce Brown, and Jeff Green, making for a pretty strong eight-man rotation. Assuming all of those guys remain healthy, Denver could do some damage with that core group come playoff time. As we've seen, though, health is far from a guarantee on the Nuggets, but we will take a closer look at that in a minute.

After those three bench guys, DeAndre Jordan and Davon Reed are the next players off the bench. That's a pretty steep drop off, as Jordan hasn't looked playable in recent seasons, and Reed couldn't find a role for himself on a considerably weaker Nuggets squad last season. Having Jordan backup Jokic is the main concern, as Jordan continues to regress with each passing season.

Using those guys in moderation isn't bad, but it's clear there are some holes in the rotation that could flare up throughout the season. Having a guy like Jokic who does everything well helps out, but the goal this offseason was to make things easier on him. Whether or not the bench is able to provide support to Jokic is one of the biggest questions surrounding the team entering the upcoming season.

1. The Nuggets are relying heavily on players returning from injury to produce

The biggest concern for Denver is injuries; why wouldn't it be? The main reason for optimism surrounding the Nuggets this season is that they are getting so many of their key players back. But the biggest potential detriment to a successful season in Denver is that these injuries could flare up once again and destroy their rotation.

Let's start with Murray, who is probably Denver's biggest X-factor heading into the season. Murray showed during the Nuggets bubble run what he's capable of, and was putting together the best season of his career during the 2020-21 season before tearing his ACL. Murray is back after missing the entire 2021-22 season and half of the 2020-21 season, but the question looms of whether he will be the same player he was before the injury.

Porter is the other big returnee, as he had a great 2020-21 season filling in for Murray as Jokic's partner-in-crime. Porter showcased his dynamic scoring abilities, averaging 19 points per game while shooting 54.2 percent from the field, including a blistering 44.5 percent on threes. But he only played in nine games last season, and did not look like himself in those contests.

How these two perform this season will determine how far the Nuggets go this season. Murray and Porter playing well alongside Jokic gives Denver the potential to accomplish a lot this season. But their injury woes also leave the door open for the possibility that they struggle in their returns to the court, or that new injuries will pop up along the way.

The Nuggets should improve this season, but the concerns surrounding Murray and Porter are valid, and will likely prevent Denver from making a serious title push this season. Denver should be hoping to get their core group back in place this season before making a run next season. Who knows, maybe they exceed expectations, but it's tough to see the Nuggets emerging as a true Finals contender with all of their injury concerns.