The Nuggets hierarchy must change for them to return to championship greatness

Despite all the talk about the Denver Nuggets' struggles this season and whether they will make a big trade, they have gotten strong play from a surprising source. Michael Porter Jr. is having a terrific season and has even emerged as a top option to Nikola Jokic. That's despite many still seeing him as the Nuggets' fourth-best player and being on a bad contract.

However, he has stepped up in a big way this season and has shown more shot-making ability beyond just being a lethal shooter from outside, including more drives to the rim and hitting more pull-ups.

Getting the most out of Porter Jr. will be key to the Nuggets championship hopes. Denver is still trying to compete in a tough Western Conference that has them just fourth in the standings despite Jokic's dominance this season.

In fact, a lot of Nuggets fans believe that Porter Jr. should be the team's second option behind Jokic instead of Jamal Murray. Murray's play this season has been inconsistent, and he hasn't shown enough to prove that he can be a consistent second option to Jokic.

With that being the case, Porter Jr. should be featured more in the offense with him taking more shots than Murray. This is especially true given that he is having a better season than Murray in most advanced metrics.

Michael Porter Jr. is the key to the Denver Nuggets getting back into contention.

Doing so could help Denver solve one of their biggest flaws, which is three-point shooting. Porter Jr. is shooting a stellar 42.3% on 6.3 3-point attempts per game. Be that as it may, they rank third in 3-point percentage but just 30th in 3-point attempts. That often leads to them having a big 3-point disparity between them and their opponents and puts them at a disadvantage.

Having another team hit four or five more threes than the Nuggets forces Denver to try and offset that shooting in other ways. The most common is simply having the best player in basketball, who is virtually automatic to win within five feet of the basket. However, when going against a team that is hot from outside, the Nuggets are more susceptible to being upset in those games.

Ultimately, with Porter Jr.'s strong play, there should be a new hierarchy on the Nuggets. That would mean that Porter Jr. would take on an increased offensive role, surpassing Murray and helping Denver solve the biggest flaw.