Denver Nuggets: Three things to look forward to post All-Star break

Healthy key players

Millsap and Murray each made successful returns prior to the break, and the time off only ensures they’ll be at 100 percent when they square off with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Feb. 21. In their brief stints, Murray looked like a superstar worthy of his $170m, five-year max contract, and Millsap reminded the league of his immense value on both ends of the floor.

In five games prior to the All-Star festivities, Murray put up a ridiculous 29.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists on .571/.462/.750 splits and showed what the Joker/Blue Arrow one-two punch looks like at peak efficiency. Over that stretch, Nikola Jokic and Murray were each other’s favorite targets, with Jokic dishing to Murray 44.8 times a night and collecting on 4.6 dimes per game, and Murray serving it back to Jokic 34.8 times a game for 2.6 assists per contest.

Overall, Jokic converted on 52.9 percent of his looks from Murray, while Murray made 62.5 percent of his shots from the field and a ludicrous 71.4 percent from deep after receiving a pass from Jokic. Their two-man game was working to perfection, and when both players are on, it’s a joy to watch.

Millsap only saw three games of action, but he made it clear that there was no rust to shake off despite missing significant time with a bruised left knee. During that stretch he recorded 14.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals in just 19.2 minutes per game on .556/.667/.615 splits and notched a double-double in his return against the Phoenix Suns on Feb 8. In his next game back against the Spurs, he filled up the stat sheet with 22 points, seven boards, three dimes, two steals and a block to cap off a win on his 35th birthday.

Once Barton and Porter Jr. rejoin the lineup, the Denver Nuggets can also reintegrate two effective scorers off their bench and significantly bolster their second unit. Along with the additions of Keita Bates-Diop, Noah Vonleh and Jordan McRae, the Nuggets should boast one of the best bench squads in the game.