Denver Nuggets: 5 takeaways from the 2018-19 NBA season

1. This roster is close

Were the Nuggets perfect this season? Absolutely not. Did they have outings where they showed they can compete against the best teams in the NBA? Yes. Their offense can run any team off the floor when they’re hitting shots. They were the seventh-best offense in the league, and they were a top-five unit for much of the year. During the playoffs, they were the second-best offense, but they were the 11th-worst defense.

Some viewed the Western Conference semifinals as a failure, while others viewed it as a success considering they hadn’t won a playoff series in a decade. They lost in seven games to the Trail Blazers that led the Warriors by at least eight points in all four games of the Western Conference Finals. It was a close second round series, and it’s nothing for such a youthful team to hang its head about.

This offseason will be huge. Denver’s roster is still relatively affordable compared to most contenders that are close to or in the luxury tax. Millsap is likely out on his current deal, although he could return on a cheaper deal with the team. General manager Artūras Karnisovas and president of basketball operations Tim Connelly need to nail this offseason. If they do, the conference semifinals will absolutely seem like a disappointment next year.