Paul Millsap signs with Nuggets: 5 biggest questions we have

DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 23: Emmanuel Mundiay
DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 23: Emmanuel Mundiay /
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DENVER, CO – DECEMBER 23: Emmanuel Mundiay
DENVER, CO – DECEMBER 23: Emmanuel Mundiay /

1. Can The Nuggets contend in the West?

What’s a realistic goal for Denver this year? Improving on a 40 win season seems logical, especially adding the big fella Millsap. You kind of know what you’re getting with Paul Millsap who is a savvy veteran who will score 18 points a night, defend at a high level, and stretch the floor hitting a fair percentage of his 3-pointers (.311 percent a year ago). The question is who can else will elevate their game to make Denver postseason bound?

The Nuggets are still far away from the elite team’s in the West but have to be in serious playoff contention at this point. The inevitable improvements of Gary Harris, Nikola Jokic, and Jamal Murray appear to be the building blocks in the Mile High City. Jokic, 21, is realistically one of the best 15-20 players in the NBA. He averaged 16.7 points, 4.9 assists, and 9.8 rebounds per game a year ago.

Getting improvements from the point guard position is imperative. Murray has the looks of a stud but Mudiay is quite the mixed bag. Mudiay, 21, averaged 11 points per game but only on .378 percent shooting. If Mudiay improves as the head honcho of the offense, the Nuggets are playoff bound.

Next: NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 offseason needs for the Denver Nuggets

Is Denver on par with a young team like Minnesota? Have they already eclipsed the Clippers (who lost a star – Chris Paul) or the Jazz (who are about to lose a star – Gordon Hayward). The Nuggets aren’t done improving and certainly appear to be heading in the right direction. We have the rest of the offseason to find what kind of on-court product will be appearing next season.