The Denver Nuggets could take home another championship just a few months after winning the 2023 NBA Finals. The 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament gets underway early in the regular season, and the championship game is scheduled for Dec. 9 in Las Vegas. The Nuggets should be considered the favorites to win the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament.

The Nuggets' In-Season Tournament schedule starts on Nov. 3 with a game against the Dallas Mavericks. Denver will face all four teams in its group once. The six group winners will advance to the knockout stage of the In-Season Tournament. The top second-place finisher from each conference will also advance beyond group play. From there, the remaining eight teams will compete in a single-elimination bracket to determine the winner of the NBA Cup.

Winning the In-Season Tournament won't have any bearing on the playoffs or the Nuggets' quest to repeat as champions. The NBA Finals, of course, takes precedence over anything else, but there are a few reasons to believe that Denver will be the left team standing in the 2023 In-Season Tournament.

3. The Nuggets are in the weakest West In-Season Tournament group

No West team has an easier path to the knockout stage than the Nuggets. West Group A is easily the best of the bunch. It features three 2023 playoff teams, including the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. They might present the biggest challenge to Denver repeating as conference champions. West Group C has three playoff teams and a Play-In Tournament team in the Oklahoma City Thunder, which could take a significant leap in the 2023-2024 campaign. The Nuggets are one of two West Group B teams that are coming off a postseason appearance.

The Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets are in West Group B with Denver. The best players on the Clippers and Pelicans are perpetually injured. The last few years suggest that it would be an upset if Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Zion Williamson play every In-Season Tournament game. The Mavs didn't even make the Play-In Tournament after they paired Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic together. The Rockets should be improved, but they probably aren't going to the playoffs, let alone advancing beyond group play of the tournament.

Surviving group play is the first step to winning the NBA Cup, and it will be a surprise if the Nuggets' In-Season Tournament run ends before the knockout stage. Denver has a leg up on the West's best teams based on their group alone.

2. The Nuggets are still the best team in the NBA

There is no reason to put any team ahead of the Nuggets on the preseason NBA power rankings. There was nothing fluky about Denver's title run. They didn't benefit from any opponent suffering a key injury to one of its best players. The Nuggets were the best team in the regular season, and Nikola Jokic is unquestionably the best player in basketball.

The entire Nuggets' starting five is back to defend the title. Jokic and Jamal Murray make up the best pick-and-roll combination in the NBA. Aaron Gordon is an All-Defense-caliber player who plays his role perfectly on offense. Michael Porter Jr. provides important rebounding and 3-point shooting, despite his struggles in the NBA Finals. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a valuable three-and-D starter.

Losing Bruce Brown and Jeff Green in free agency stung, but it's hard to overstate how difficult Denver is to beat when they don't have any weak links in the starting lineup.

1. The Nuggets have chemistry that many of the NBA's top teams don't

The timing of the NBA In-Season Tournament is important for Denver's chances of winning the NBA Cup. Because the tournament will be played early in the regular season, the Nuggets have an advantage over teams that will be acclimating new players into the lineup. Maybe some of those teams will have a better shot to win the 2024 NBA Finals later in the year, but a few contenders will need time to develop chemistry.

Don't expect the Suns to come out of the gate looking like the best team in the NBA. It will take time for Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal to learn how to get the best out of each other. The Boston Celtics changed the dynamic of their team by swapping Marcus Smart for Kristaps Porzingis. The Miami Heat might add Damian Lillard to the mix. The Milwaukee Bucks have a new head coach. The Philadelphia 76ers have a new coach and have to deal with James Harden. The Memphis Grizzlies won't have Ja Morant for group play because of his suspension.

Barring an unforeseen injury, the Nuggets are set up perfectly for a deep tournament run.