Granted, Denver’s “core four” only played 232 possessions together, and in a larger sample size that +17.1 would certainly come down to earth a bit. For context, rolling in reverse through the past few seasons, the top net ratings in the league have been put up by Phoenix (+8.5), Utah (+11.6), Milwaukee twice (+9.9, +9.1) and Houston (+9.0). Per Cleaning the Glass, when the four who will be returning together this season (minus Barton) shared the court together, The Nuggets had a scorching net rating of +17.1, the rough equivalent of, on average, beating their opponents by about 17 points per game. The numbers the starting lineup of Murray, Barton, Porter, Gordon and Jokic put up in those nine games have become the stuff of the legend of what might have been. (ESPN’s Zach Lowe, for example, often mentions on his podcast that had Murray not gotten injured, Denver would have been his pick to win it all.)
In the brief window of time in March and April of 2021 from when the Nuggets traded for Aaron Gordon until Murray went down with his ACL tear, they looked unstoppable, and on track to become not just a title contender, but perhaps the favorite to win the championship. A Happy Reunion Of Denver’s High Upside Core Four There will be more new blood on the bench than in the starting five, which bodes well for the Nuggets’ main lineup in terms of the stability that comes with continuity, but as the lessons of last season illustrated all too painfully, they will need their bench to congeal more quickly, and perform more reliably and consistently from start to finish, in order to relieve some of the pressure off the starters to put in an unfavorably high minutes load.
Nuggets roster free#
Perhaps more on the fringe of the rotation, if they crack it at all, will also be new players rookie Christian Braun, who the Nuggets selected with the 21st overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, and DeAndre Jordan, Denver’s first free agent signing out of the gate, and a former Brooklyn Nets teammate of both Brown and Green. But the proof will be in the pudding, and anticipating some adjustment time with a few bumps in the road here and there is probably more realistic, especially considering that Murray and MPJ will be not only adjusting to their new teammates, but at the same time, following their injuries and rehabilitation, ramping back up and getting reacclimated to playing NBA basketball. Both have experience as effective role players alongside big stars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and Kevin Durant and James Harden, respectively. On paper, both players look like seamless fits. Both of these players appear set to figure prominently in Denver’s regular rotation, especially considering potential minutes limits and rest games for Murray and Porter which should open up more playing time. To back up the same position and further bolster their wing defense, they also added Bruce Brown, signing him in free agency to a two-year, $13.3 million deal.
Nuggets roster upgrade#
They got their new “three-and-D” upgrade at starting shooting guard, landing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from the Washington Wizards in a trade of Barton and Morris, and subsequently extending him on a two-year, $30 million contract. The Nuggets made two critical veteran acquisitions this offseason. played just 265 minutes in nine games last season before back surgery sidelined him the rest of the way, the same can effectively be said for him. Murray has also never taken the court alongside Jeff Green or Davon Reed, both of whom were also new to Denver last season. Jamal Murray has never played an NBA game with Bones Hyland, which kind of boggles the mind considering how quickly Hyland became such an integral part of the Nuggets in his rookie season both in basketball terms on the court, and in embodying the heart and soul of the team’s character, and putting his distinct, lovable imprint upon it. Year-Long Teammates Who Have Never (Or Almost Never) Played Together
And while the playing time vacuum left behind will be filled by a mix of new and returning players, the combinations will nearly all be new.
In fact, according to Cleaning the Glass, the Nuggets played literally only two possessions of any lineup which did not include any of the players who have now departed from the team, meaning that essentially every lineup head coach Michael Malone puts on the floor this time around will be one that never played last season.
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