Ranking each NBA team’s All-Decade starting 5 from the 2010s

Oklahoma City Thunder Kevin Durant Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Oklahoma City Thunder Kevin Durant Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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NBA Denver Nuggets Carmelo Anthony
Denver Nuggets Carmelo Anthony (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /

15. Denver Nuggets 2010s all-decade starting lineup

  1. Jamal Murray
  2. Andre Iguodala
  3. Carmelo Anthony
  4. Danilo Gallinari
  5. Nikola Jokic

At his peak with the Denver Nuggets — which at least partially occurred this decade — Carmelo Anthony was one of the best players in the league and one of its most feared scoring threats.

He could drain a shot from anywhere but didn’t always have the necessary help to make sure Denver’s competitive levels were up to par. Nikola Jokic is by far the best teammate Melo would ever have in the Mile High, but Carmelo’s iso-heavy style doesn’t exactly accentuate the Joker’s unique passing talents.

It’s no coincidence the Nuggets won a franchise-best 57 wins in Andre Iguodala’s lone season. Even in the absence of the Hall of Fame talent in Golden State, he still makes winning plays at both ends.

Part of that success for Iggy, though, came under the second-fastest pace in the league. As his play in future playoffs indicates, Iguodala can function in the halfcourt setting, but is that the ideal space for a former Dunk Contest participant at only 29 years of age?

Gallinari and Jamal Murray have proven the ability to work simultaneously with the ball in their hands and out along the perimeter spacing the court. When playing with a passer like Jokic, that’s an important trait, one Murray is especially accustomed to.

There’s a version of this team that’s elite on paper, but it would take a lot of fine-tuning on the court. Until that chemistry is found, Denver will simply have to lean on the star power of Anthony and Jokic for all it’s worth.