Week 3 NBA power rankings: 10. Denver Nuggets
Last week: (1-2) – @ MEM (L), @ MEM (L), vs. HOU (W)
Offensive rating: 101.6 (26th in NBA)
Defensive rating: 100.1 (2nd in NBA)
Having the reigning MVP on the team definitely helps the Denver Nuggets, but they’ve been having a pretty weird season. Nikola Jokic is putting the team on his back to some degrees once again this year.
He’s putting up numbers that are arguably better than his MVP numbers from last season. Despite this, the Nuggets still took two Ls to the Grizzlies last week.
Will Barton has also been having a great year for the Nuggets. His performance has made up for a lackluster start to the season by Michael Porter Jr.
Denver is just hovering around .500 on the season, but they have the makings of a really solid team. However, they do end up falling one spot in this week’s rankings.
Season outlook: With Jamal Murray out, this team’s ceiling is seriously lowered. Having Jokic is great, but they are still missing an All-Star-caliber player. They’ll be a solid playoff team and have the potential to win a series or two this year.