Fansided

NBA Season Preview 2018-19: Preseason power rankings

By Ian Levy

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 29: Stephen Curry #30 and Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors laugh in the hallway before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on November 29, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 29: Stephen Curry #30 and Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors laugh in the hallway before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on November 29, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 2: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets looks on prior to a pre-season game against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 2, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 2: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets looks on prior to a pre-season game against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 2, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images) /

73. . . Previous: . denver nuggets. 9. team

The Nuggets could legitimately have the best offense in the NBA this season. The jury is no longer out on Nikola Jokic, he’s a full-fledged star and one of the best players in the conference. If Jamal Murray takes another step forward as a creator and Isaiah Thomas can be effective as the offensive fulcrum of the second-unit they will be regularly blowing the doors off on opponents. The issue is whether they can hang at the other end.

Paul Millsap was supposed to be a defensive salve for them last season but he missed too much time to be fully integrated. A significant quantity of bench minutes going to Thomas could raise the level of difficulty further as Denver really doesn’t have a rim protector in the starting lineup, or even one they can use off the bench situationally. Denver looks like a team who could break through make some regular season noise and generate some optimism heading into the playoffs. But they still have a lot of holes that can be exploited by better teams in a playoff matchup.