Nuggets projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season
Denver Nuggets starting small forward: Michael Porter Jr.
This is also no surprise here because Michael Porter Jr. has all-star potential and is the perfect player for this system. Last season MPJ averaged 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists on 49/41/80 splits.
Standing at 6-foot-10, MPJ’s supreme height and athleticism add tremendous versatility to the Nuggets. His height allows him to play the power forward spot on occasion and his ability to shoot the three at a high efficiency for his height makes him unguardable.
MPJ is the perfect third option for this team because there are times he gets extremely hot from three and takes a game over. If either Jokic or Murray isn’t healthy, MPJ is more than capable of being the second-best player on the Nuggets for a few games.
The one flaw the MPJ has to his game is that he only averaged 1 assist per game last season. This caused many fans to be critical of MPJ’s play as he never passes the basketball. With time MPJ should be able to develop that part of his game and use his height to look over defenders instead of shooting over them. When he is able to add a little bit of playmaking to his arsenal, it will make the Nuggets even more dangerous than they were last season.
Nuggets primary backup small forward: Justin Holiday
The 10-season vet will be making an appearance on his tenth NBA team at the start of next season and will start out as the primary backup small forward. Last season Holiday averaged 4.6 points, and 1.2 rebounds on 38/32/63 splits.
Holiday had a down year by his standards and with the Nuggets, expect him to have a slightly larger impact. He is probably going to play somewhere between 15 to 20 minutes per game and give great hustle minutes. He is more than capable of giving the Nuggets a few extra hustle points, solid defense, and making a three or two per game.