After a rough start, the Nuggets' season is already on the line

Life comes fast at you in the NBA. One moment a team can be on the mountain top and the next we’re talking about that same team and wondering if they should break up their core and start over. That is the point the Denver Nuggets are at.

The Nuggets won the championship in 2023 and looked well on their way to at least getting back to the finals last year and defending their title. However, they met their match in the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round last year and lost in seven games.

In the offseason, Denver lost a key contributor in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Orlando Magic in free agency. Their only major move of the offseason was signing Russell Westbrook. They needed shooting and brought in one of the worst shooters in the NBA with Westbrook (31 percent from three over the last two seasons).

Even after their title win in 2023, the Nuggets lost Bruce Brown and Jeff Green in free agency. So in the last two seasons alone, they lost three major contributors from their title winning team and have not done much to replace them.

The Denver Nuggets enter a crucial year in 2024-25.

This team has been over-reliant on Nikola Jokic and is running the risk of wasting the three-time MVP’s prime. Yes, the team has young guys like Julian Strawther and Christian Braun who are developing and will likely become good role players.

However, the core around Jokic in Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr, and Aaron Gordon have been underwhelming, Murray and Porter specifically. Murray has been in a funk dating all the way back to last postseason and is shooting 37 percent from the field through five games this season.

Porter has the skill set and build to be a two-way monster, but has been allergic to defense and has shown a refusal to put the ball on the floor or become a playmaker throughout his career. He has had a solid start to the season, shooting 47 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point range, but he has not evolved enough as an offensive player. 

To make matters worse, Coach Michael Malone called his team out during preseason for not being in shape and there were rumblings in the offseason that he and the front office did not see eye to eye. The bottom line is the roster lacks depth, Jokic is the only one performing, and the coach and front office are not seeing eye to eye. One and a half years removed from the title.

In a tough Western Conference, Denver as currently constructed does not have enough firepower to compete. Riding on the back of the three-time MVP for 82 games is just unsustainable. They have to capitalize on his prime in a critical season for the Nuggets. Otherwise, they will look very different come next season.