After missing out on the playoffs by one game, has the Nuggets roster improved enough to compete in a tougher Western Conference?
Denver had a heartbreaking year last year. It looked like they were finally ready to take the leap, after adding Paul Millsap. The team did improve in the win column, from 40 to 46 wins, but unfortunately, so did the rest of the West. The Nuggets went 46-36 and missed the playoffs.
That makes 2018-19 a very high-stakes year for the team, and especially coach Mike Malone. Millsap missed most of last season with a wrist injury, and now he’s fully healthy. Nikola Jokic has been paid, and has another offseason of development work. Gary Harris and Jamal Murray have another year of growth. There aren’t excuses anymore, even in the cutthroat West.
Well, maybe there is one excuse. The Nuggets lost a decent amount of depth this summer, with Darrell Arthur’s exodus to Phoenix, Devin Harris’s move back to Dallas, and Wilson Chandler’s move to Philadelphia. In their place arrive a bundle of young talent from the draft and G-League, as well as one of the league’s most polarizing players. That’s a risky proposition if injuries strike again. The Nuggets have a lot riding on this roster. Let’s break down how the rotation could look in 2018-19.
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