5 reasons Denver Nuggets can still win 2021 NBA championship

1. Nikola Jokic is the best player in the NBA this season

All of the previously stated reasons have one thing in common: Nikola Jokic. As the frontrunner for league MVP, the center needs no introduction or all that many words to describe what he does. He’s simply the best player this year, and just how far Denver goes in the playoffs will fall on his broad shoulders. Of course, a legitimate championship team requires more than just a superstar – it needs depth, resilience, unshakeable confidence, among other things.

But given Jokic’s MVP performances this season, Jokic is prepared to carry a Final-ready Nuggets team like never before. The Nuggets rode his back to the Conference Finals last year, and his impressive playoff averages (24.4 points, 5.7 assists, 9.8 rebounds) reveal how productive he was even amid the heat and pressure of the postseason. Now, at arguably the height of his illustrious but title-less career, Jokic has waited five patient years for Denver to compete and prevail in an NBA final. Murray’s injury was a mere setback; though the Nuggets could use a bit of luck, Jokic won’t waste his golden opportunity to win it all this time around. This is his year.