Fansided

10 reasons we’re thankful the NBA is back

By Joshua Axelrod

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 11: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates with Tyson Chandler #5 of the Los Angeles Lakers after he blocked the final shot of the game by Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks to win the the game at Staples Center on November 11, 2018 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. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 11: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates with Tyson Chandler #5 of the Los Angeles Lakers after he blocked the final shot of the game by Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks to win the the game at Staples Center on November 11, 2018 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. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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DENVER, CO — NOVEMBER 05: Al Horford #42 of the Boston Celtics guards Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center on November 5, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. 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. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO — NOVEMBER 05: Al Horford #42 of the Boston Celtics guards Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center on November 5, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. 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. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

4. The Nuggets may have made the leap

Don’t look now, but one Western Conference team appears to have made the jump from good to great without doing all that much to overhaul its roster. The Denver Nuggets — led by Nikola Jokic, the most unique unicorn in the NBA forest — are currently near the top of the Western Conference standings and don’t appear to be dropping anytime soon.

This isn’t exactly unexpected, as the Nuggets have had a few years now for its young core of Jokic, Jamal Murray and Gary Harris to gel. But going into the season, there were still plenty of questions about whether those three guys could lead a team to the playoffs, let alone a deep postseason run. Early on, the answer to that query appears to be a rousing yes.

Those three are all playing at extremely high levels, especially Murray, who dropped 48 (almost 50, much to Kyrie Irving’s chagrin) against the Celtics on Nov. 5. Paul Millsap has helped shore up their defense, and virtual unknowns Monte Morris and Malik Beasley are giving Denver the quality point-guard minutes this team has desperately needed.

The really exciting thing here is that the Nuggets aren’t even operating at full power. Underrated forward Will Barton has been injured. So has free-agent signing Isiah Thomas, and anything they can get from him will be a bonus. Plus, first-round draft pick Michael Porter has also yet to play an NBA minute. If his back ever fully heals, he could make the Nuggets even scarier.

We may be looking at the next good-to-great Western Conference team for years to come, a prospect both Nuggets fans and anyone who likes basketball should be grateful for. Hopefully these Nuggets stay healthy and keep playing like they have championship aspirations.

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