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Stephen A. Smith didn't mince words when speaking about the Nuggets following their season-opening 102-87 loss to the surging Oklahoma City Thunder. On Firday's edition of ESPN's First Take, Smith's assessment of the team's outlook this season following the loss is simple: they look old.
“Denver looked old. Now they’re not old but, against Oklahoma City, they look old and I’m worried about them. Because we know the combination of Jokic and Murray and what they bring to the table, how extraordinary they are. But I’m looking at Murray and just looking for it. I’ve been raving about Russell Westbrook being on that team but you know what? Against a young squad like Oklahoma City with Chet Holmgren, who by the way we’d be talking about more if it wasn’t for Victor Wembanyama,” Smith said before praising Holmgren and the new off-season additions to the Thunder roster.
In NBA years, Denver is an older team. Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić is set to turn 30 in February and the Nuggets foundational pieces in Jamal Murray (27 years old) and Aaron Gordon (29 years old) aren't getting any younger as well. Add the fact that the team replaced 31-year-old Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with 35-year-old Russell Westbrook and it can be seen how Smith would come to the conclusion that Denver is getting old and couldn't keep up with a young Thunder team with immense depth and talent.
The true test of Denver's will as a contender depends on whether Jokić can turn in another MVP-worthy season and if their championship-winning core can step their game up in a Western Conference that is replete with talent. While their season opener against last year's top-ranked seed in the Western Conference didn't go as planned, they still have plenty of opportunities to get in rhythm and emerge as one of the league's premiere contenders.
The Nuggets host the Clippers on Saturday at 5 PM EST. The game will be broadcast nationally on NBA TV.
