Denver Nuggets 2012-13 NBA Preview

Ty Lawson of the Denver Nuggets in a Jan. 25, 2011, game against the Washington Wizards. (Photo by Keith Allison/Flickr.com)

Denver Nuggets

2011-12 Vitals:

38-28, 2nd in Northwest Division, 6th in Western Conference
104.1 PPG/101.2 OPP PPG

2012-13 Roster:

Corey Brewer – SF
Wilson Chandler – SF
Kenneth Faried – F
Evan Fournier – SG
Danilo Gallinari – SF
Jordan Hamilton – G
Andre Iguodala – SF
Kosta Koufos – C
Ty Lawson – PG
JaVale McGee – C
Andre Miller – PG
Quincy Miller – SF
Timofey Mozgov – C
Anthony Randolph – PF
Julyan Stone – G
Izzet Turkyilmaz – C

Offseason Additions:

Andre Iguodala, Anthony Randolph, Evan Fournier, Quincy Miller

Offseason Subtractions:

Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Chris Andersen, Rudy Fernandez

Projected Starters:

PG – Ty Lawson
SG – Andre Iguodala
SF – Danilo Gallinari
PF – Kenneth Faried
C – JaVale McGee

Season Outlook:

The Denver Nuggets don’t have trouble scoring, but defense has been their Achilles’ heel. They gave up some offense in Arron Afflalo to acquire Andre Iguodala and improve their perimeter defense, which will help in a big way.

One major advantage that the Nuggets have is depth. Their bench of Andre Miller, Corey Brewer, Wilson Chandler, Anthony Randolph and Kosta Koufos can stand up to any single bench in the NBA.

JaVale McGee will be extremely important to the team this year on the defensive end. If he can harness his energy and channel it into making smart basketball plays, he will be a huge contributor and the Nuggets will go far. If he can’t mature in that sense, the Nuggets will be where they always are – watching from home in June.

Best-Case Scenario:

JaVale McGee and Andre Iguodala bring the defensive effort up while Ty Lawson and Danilo Gallinari handle the offensive duties. The Nuggets improve to a top-15 defensive team, while not losing offensive punch. They sneak into the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and eventually are dismissed by the Oklahoma City Thunder in round two.

Worst-Case Scenario:

Injuries hit again and the defensive effort falls short. The Nuggets are deep enough to sustain minor injuries but it will affect the end result. They should still make the playoffs but as a low seed, only to get thrashed by the Western Conference elite.

Thanks for visiting HoopsHabit.com! Please visit our sponsors and like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and tell your friends!