Who’s got next? Predicting the NBA’s next dynasty
By Cal Durrett
NBA Team #1: The Denver Nuggets
Although the Denver Nuggets might not be the first team that comes to mind when mentioning the next dynasty, they should at least be in the conversation. They have the reigning two-time league MVP Nikola Jokic locked up for the next five seasons, and he’s only 27 years old. There’s no way he doesn’t play like an absolute star well into his 30s, and that bodes well for them since he basically averaged 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 assists per game last season like it was nothing.
The Nuggets also have two younger stars, albeit ones that are coming off significant injuries. Jamal Murray is just 25 and averaged 21.2 points per game during the 2020–21 season before missing the second half of that year and all of last season with an ACL injury. Assuming that he won’t be nearly the same player next season, he’ll still only be 27 by the time he’s fully recovered.
Michael Porter Jr.’s injury isn’t as severe, but he has an injury history that is concerning. Despite that, he’s only 24 and averaged 19.9 points during the 2020–21 season, the last time he was fully healthy. A big three of Jokic, Murray, and Porter Jr. is certainly good enough to compete in the West, and they’ve already made it to the conference finals but lost to the eventual champions.
New Orleans and Memphis’ potential for a dynasty is still theoretical, but we’ve already seen Denver get deep in the playoffs, and they were only three games away from the NBA Finals. It’s not exactly a stretch to think that they’ll eventually get there, and with a historic player like Jokic, all bets are off.