FILE–Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic during an NBA preseason game between Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Dokoupil)
Denver NuggetsLast season: 57-25, lost to Minnesota in second round of playoffs.
COACH: Michael Malone (10th season with Nuggets, 12th overall, 507–398).
Article continues after this advertisementSEASON OPENER: Oct. 24 vs. Oklahoma City.
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ADDITIONS: PG Russell Westbrook, PF-C Dario Saric.
Article continues after this advertisementBetMGM championship odds: 10-1.
Article continues after this advertisement What to expectNuggets head coach Michael Malone believes their championship window remains wide open despite their historic Game 7 collapse against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of last year’s playoffs, which assured the NBA of having a new champion for a sixth straight season.
Article continues after this advertisementNBA: Russell Westbrook agrees to two-year deal with Nuggets
The Nuggets lost starter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency and, at superstar Nikola Jokic’s urging, signed veteran PG Russell Westbrook, who figures to add some spice to the Nuggets even in a backup role.
Article continues after this advertisement Strengths and weaknessesThe good: The Nuggets have the best big man in the game in three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, and they have the premier two-man game in the league when Jamal Murray is rolling. They may have lost KCP but their four returning starters, including Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr., are an eviable foursome. Christian Braun will get first crack at replacing Caldwell-Pope in the starting lineup.
READ: Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic ready to lead Nuggets’ new quest
The not-so-good: The Nuggets don’t exactly light it up from 3-point range and in Westbrook they have added a player who isn’t afraid to let it go from long range but can have stretches of misfires. The Nuggets were thrilled to draft Daron Holmes II out of Dayton as a power forward/center who could take some minutes from Jokic and Gordon to keep them fresh. He hit his first three 3-pointers and was having a spectacular Summer League debut until limping off the court in the fourth quarter with a torn right ACL that required surgery and forces him to miss the 2024-25 season.
Players to watchWhile veterans Westbrook and Saric start to fit in, young players hoping to carve out bigger roles this year include Gs Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson and Jalen Picett along with rookie F Spencer Jones.
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All eyes will also be on Murrayponeclub, who had another injury-plagued season in 2023-24 and hit two buzzer-beaters against Los Angeles in the first round of the playoffs before falling apart against the Wolves in a series that featured him throwing a heat pack and a towel at an official. He was a non-factor in Paris for the Canadian Olympic team, this summer but returned to Denver and signed a four-year, $208 million extension in September.
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