Denver Nuggets: 3 reasons they’re legitimate contenders

2. Their depth is legitimate

The majority of teams in the playoffs will play a maximum of eight players when the playoffs kick off. On rare occasions, teams will go to nine players on a nightly basis. The Nuggets have the ability to match that and then some. They can play 11 players on any given night, and they play at a high level. They will be able to wear teams out over the course a 48-minute game, which can carry them in a long series.

Remember those top-five lineups from earlier? The two that didn’t feature Jokic feature just one starter, Jamal Murray. The third overall lineup in net rating is all bench players. You’d be hard-pressed to find a team where their third-best lineup doesn’t have a single one of their starters.

Denver’s rotation will likely shrink from its regular season group, but that depth is a strength this team has to embrace. The Nuggets shouldn’t be afraid to play 10 guys on a nightly basis when a team like the Oklahoma City Thunder or Houston Rockets will play seven. That depth is a strength and head coach Mike Malone needs to utilize it as such.