FanDuel currently has the Denver Nuggets with the third-best odds to win the 2024 NBA championship, despite entering the 2023-24 season as the defending NBA champions. The Nuggets sit behind the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics, who both made blockbuster moves to get better this offseason.
Nonetheless, Denver still parades the best player in the world and reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic, who should keep Denver in contention to win back-to-back. Jamal Murray is still the perfect sidekick for The Joker. Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are terrific complementary high-level role players to round out Denver's formidable starting five. Despite the core pieces still being there, the defending champion Nuggets have a glaring flaw that can potentially doom their chances of repeating.
Denver Nuggets fatal flaw: Depth
The Denver Nuggets really had no choice but to watch one of their more important bench pieces Bruce Brown, who signed with the Indiana Pacers, walk away in free agency. Brown played a massive role for the Nuggets as an all-around wing who could defend and knock down threes. However, they didn't really have the cap space to retain him. As such, right after the NBA Finals ended, the writing regarding Brown's departure was pretty much on the wall.
Sure, they signed Justin Holiday to somewhat compensate for the 6-foot-4 wing's departure. However, Holiday doesn't really replace what Brown brought to the table.
The Nuggets also lost veteran forward Jeff Green, who signed with the Houston Rockets. The recently-turned 37 year old still played a pretty significant role off the bench during Denver's title run. He appeared in all of the Nuggets' 20 games during the playoffs and averaged over 17 minutes per game.
The rest of the league got better
Unlike some of the top contenders in the NBA, the Nuggets weren't really able to make a lot of noise in the offseason. The Bucks landed Damian Lillard to form perhaps the best duo in the NBA with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Boston acquired Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday to revamp its roster surrounding Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The Lakers retained its key free agents like D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, and Jared Vanderbilt and added other pieces such as Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood, and Taurean Prince to bring more depth across the roster. The Suns acquired Bradley Beal to form a Big Three with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Golden State traded for 19-time All-Star Chris Paul to bring a stabilizing presence whenever Stephen Curry steps off the floor.
In short, a lot of teams got better. Meanwhile, the Nuggets pretty much stood pat and are still facing serious depth issues heading into the 2023-24 NBA season.
Young guys' time to shine
Denver is expecting Christian Braun to play a bigger role this upcoming season, especially with what he showed in the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. Braun particularly showed out in Game 3 with the series tied at 1-1, where he scored 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting.
The rookie did everything the Nuggets needed him to do. From making timely cuts, strong drives, and hustle plays, Braun showed that he can play winning basketball at the highest level. The Nuggets making minimal moves this summer sends a message that they trust Braun to take the leap with a larger role in Year 2.
Aside from Braun, the Nuggets do have a group of young guys such as Zeke Nnaji and Peyton Watson, as well as rookies Julian Strawther and Jalen Pickett, who could see plenty of spot minutes off the bench throughout the regular season.
Strawther, the 29th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, has played well in preseason. He has already led the Nuggets in scoring twice in three exhibition games. He is averaging 19.7 points while shooting 50.0 percent on eight 3-point shot attempts per contest. If the rookie is able to keep this up, he could find himself in Michael Malone's regular rotation.
Watson is also an intriguing prospect and he himself expects big things for him in Year 2. He didn't get much playing time as a rookie, but his knack for cutting to the basket and getting putbacks could get him on the floor in his sophomore campaign.
What the Nuggets can do further
With the regular season just right around the corner, the Nuggets likely won't make any additions in free agency. There are some former Denver players out there still in the market such as Will Barton, Austin Rivers, and Jamychal Green, whom they could bring back.
But they could be waiting out on the buyout market for better options while they let some of their younger guys such as Braun, Nnaji, Strawther, and Watson grow into bigger roles as the season progresses.
Jokic's other-worldly ability of making everybody around him better could very well be the answer to addressing the Nuggets' depth flaws. But perhaps adding just one more veteran who can play real minutes in the postseason will go a long way in their hopes of winning another NBA championship, considering how deep the West became this summer.
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