The Nuggets won their first championship in franchise history last season and are looking to repeat this upcoming season. Here is their lineup and rotations for next season.
After 47 years the Denver Nuggets finally broke through and won their first NBA Championship in franchise history. It was impressive, to say the least, because the Nuggets were one of the most overlooked teams throughout last season and it’s a mystery as to why.
The Nuggets had the reigning back-to-back MVP in Nikola Jokic, two max contract players in Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. were coming back from injury and they added nice veteran pieces in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown, and Jeff Green.
The Nuggets used an underdog mentality to break through and win the championship last season. In the offseason, they lost Bruce Brown and Jeff Green in free agency but have kept some of their pieces intact. Here is a look at their lineup and rotation for the 2024 season.
Denver Nuggets starting point guard: Jamal Murray
There is no surprise here as Jamal Murray has been the starting point guard for the Nuggets since 2018 and is the perfect second option to Nikola Jokic. Last season Murray averaged 20 points, 4 rebounds, and a career-high 6.2 assists on 45/40/83 splits.
After coming off an ACL injury and missing all of last season, Murray played like his old self in the regular season. When the postseason comes around Murray tends to up his play. In the playoffs, Murray averaged 26.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 7.1 assists on 47/40/93 splits.
Based on Murray’s pattern, don’t be surprised if his numbers throughout the season look more like his regular season numbers. Even so, Murray is the perfect complementary guard for Nikola Jokic. He can go off on a scoring frenzy, play the pick-n-roll extremely well, and shoot the ball with great efficiency. Without Murray, the Nuggets wouldn’t have as great odds of winning the championship again.
Nuggets primary backup point guard: Reggie Jackson
Throughout most of the postseason, the Nuggets went without using a backup point guard but in the regular season, they will use Reggie Jackson. At most Jackson won’t be asked to play more than 20 minutes per game.
Last season Jackson averaged 7.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists on 38/28/83 splits in the 16 games he played with the Nuggets. Jackson got to the Nuggets mid-season and the system was very new to him which could explain his poor efficiency. After spending a full postseason and training camp with the Nuggets, Jackson will play much better and be more efficient due to the players around him making him a solid backup to Jamal Murray.
Others who could receive minutes: Nikola Jokic
The majority of the other guards on the Nuggets roster are two guards but Nikola Jokic is the other point guard option for this team. Despite being 7-foot tall Jokic is one of the best passers in the league. He finished third in assists per game and second in overall assists last season. Even though he may be listed as the center, there will be times when he is the Nuggets’ primary ball handler.
Denver Nuggets starting shooting guard; Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
The Nuggets signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last season for his veteran experience and great three-point shooting. The signing paid off because KCP played a huge role in the Nuggets’ success from last season.
Last season KCP averaged 10.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals on 46/42/82 splits, and in the postseason he averaged 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.3 steals on 46/38/83 splits.
Even though his numbers don’t pop out at you KCP is still one of the perfect role players for his team. His three-point shooting ability allows one of two options for the team. It allows Jokic or Murray to go 1-on-1 because they can’t double them making it easier for both players to score. The second option is, if a KCP defender decides to double Murray or Jokic they’ll find KCP for a three which KCP will make a defender pay.
On top of his offensive ability, KCP is a great defender too. He is one of the Nuggets’ better perimeter defenders and can take the pressure off of Jamal Murray if their opponent has a great perimeter player.
Nuggets primary backup shooting guard: Christian Braun
The 21st overall pick in the 2022 draft was a diamond in the rough for the Nuggets. Last season he played in 76 games and averaged 4.7 points, 2.4 rebounds on 50/35/63 splits in 15.5 minutes per game.
Off the bench, Braun was playing a limited role as guys like Bones Hyland, Bruce Brown, and Jeff Green would take on the bigger role. With those guys being gone, Braun’s role off the bench should increase, and playing in this system, he will increase his impact on this Nuggets team. He will provide better shooting and solid defense for the team.
Others who could receive minutes: Jalen Pickett, Armaan Franklin, Andrew Funk
All three of these guys were either second-round or undrafted players from this upcoming draft. If the Nuggets stay healthy the only minutes these players will see are at the end of games in blowouts. If someone were to get hurt there is a chance one of them could sneak in and play a small role for this team.
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.
Others who could receive minutes: Christian Braun
Denver Nuggets starting power forward: Aaron Gordon
Another obvious choice is Aaron Gordon is the starting power forward for the Nuggets. Last season Gordon had a career year and near All-Star where he averaged 16.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3 assists on 56/35/61 splits. In the postseason Gordon averaged 13.3 points, 6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists on 52/39/65 splits.
Even though Gordon had a career year on the offensive end last season, his defense is one of the most important aspects of this team. Nikola Jokic lacks a defensive intensity which Gordon more than makes up for. Last postseason Gordon was the primary defender on Karl Anthony-Towns, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Jimmy Butler.
Even though he is undersized, he is the perfect power forward to have alongside Nikola Jokic. He is athletic enough to run the pick-n-roll with Jokic and Murray, last postseason showed he can be a threat from three and he is a great defender. Entering his 10th season at age 28, Gordon is in position to have another great season.
Nuggets primary backup power forward; Zeke Nnaji
Last season the Nuggets primary backup power forward was Jeff Green but with him gone, their next option is to go with Zeke Nnaji. He played 53 games last season and averaged 5.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, on 56/26/65 splits.
With Jeff Green gone Nnaji will take on a slightly bigger role this season. Expect him to play around 15 to 20 minutes per game and the Nuggets will ask him to be a great hustle player. He will grab key rebounds, play solid defense and get a few hustle points.
Even though his three-point shooting was horrendous last season, Nnaji’s history would suggest that he is a good three-point shooter. In his last two seasons, he shot 44 percent from three but with an increased role, he should be around his career average of 38 percent.
Others who could receive minutes; Vlatko Cancar
Vlatko Cancar has played the last four seasons with the Nuggets and hasn’t had a huge role. Last season he played in 60 games and averaged 5 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists on 48/37/93 splits. The gap between him and Zeke Nnaji isn’t that big so there’s a chance he can squeak in and get significant playing time for the Nuggets.
Denver Nuggets starting center: Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic is a 5x All-Star, 5x All-NBA, back-to-back MVP winner, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, and came off his best regular season yet. He averaged 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 9.8 assists on 63/38/82 splits. In the playoffs, he averaged 30 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists on 55/46/80 splits and became the first player in NBA history to have the most points, rebounds, and assists in the playoffs.
Jokic was nothing short of spectacular last season and is ranked as the best player in the NBA so of course he is going to be the starting center for the Nuggets. According to advanced statistics, Jokic was the most impactful player in the league last season because he had the highest PER, True Shooting Percentage, Win Shares, Win Shares per 48 minutes and Box Plus Minus.
Jokic is the most important piece for the Nuggets because he can do everything on the offensive end at an elite level. There aren’t many players who can be the best scorer, rebounder, and passer on the court at all times. Jokic is the bus driver for this team and will potentially lead them to another championship.
Nuggets primary backup center: Deandre Jordan
Throughout the postseason the Nuggets went without a backup center but to begin the regular season their backup will be Deandre Jordan who is the only backup center for the Nuggets. Last season he averaged 5.1 points, and 5.2 rebounds on 77 percent shooting from the field.
His role is going to be minimal behind Jokic cause at this point in his career he can only give you 10-15 minutes per game and can’t do much outside of getting rebounds and setting screens. It is possible the Nuggets will look for another backup center along the way but for now, they are stuck with Deandre Jordan.