Written by Brendon Donohoe
Welcome to our NBA season preview. Leading up to the first game of the NBA season, we will be counting down every team in the NBA. Next up, the Denver Nuggets.
26) Denver Nuggets
2014-2015 Record: 30-52
Roster Breakdown
| PG | Emmanuel Mudiay | Bench | C | J.J. Hickson |
| SG | Randy Foye | PF | Darrell Arthur | |
| SF | Danilo Gallinari | SF | Wilson Chandler | |
| PF | Kenneth Faried | PG | Jameer Nelson | |
| C | Jusuf Nurkic | SG | Gary Harris | |
| C | Nikola Jokic | |||
| PG | Erick Green | |||
| SF | Mike Miller | |||
| SG | Will Barton | |||
| SG | Nick Johnson | |||
| PF | Joffrey Lauvergne |
- Key Offseason Additions: Emmanuel Mudiay (Draft)
- Key Offseason Losses: Ty Lawson
Only one starter from last year is gone, but boy does this roster feel a lot different. Longtime point guard Ty Lawson was traded during the offseason, and replacing him is the top point guard from this year’s draft, Emmanuel Mudiay. Mudiay has great athletic ability, but will have to work on some of his skill set if he wants to be the star Denver hopes he will be. With him in the backcourt is Randy Foye. Foye has never shown anything spectacular in his career, but he can get the job done at shooting guard. However, if he slips up, there is a young guard on the bench waiting to swoop in. Danilo Gallinari will reclaim his role as the starter and hope to regain the form he had prior to his ACL injury. With Lawson gone, Faried will take the mantle as the team’s best player. Under Brian Shaw, Faried seemed to regress, posting career lows. With Shaw gone, and Mike Malone in, expect Faried to turn back into the Manimal. Last but not least, is the center Jusuf Nurkic. In his rookie season, Nurkic was a defensive beast, but lacked the offensive game. Nurkic’s offensive game will most likely take time to develop, so expect much of the same this year.
While young guys make up the starting lineup, the bench is mostly made up of veterans. Similar to Randy Foye, Wilson Chandler has never shown anything spectacular, but is a very capabale player. Like last year, he will continue to have serious minutes, particularly when the team looks to play small ball. Jameer Nelson and Mike Miller are the two oldest players on the team. While I’m not sure how much they have left in the tank, their most important role will be mentoring the young guys. J.J. Hickson and Darrell Arthur are both good options off the bench, but it may be Joffrey Lauvergne and Nikola Jokic that will get the nod for more minutes. I would be cautiously optimistic about Lauvergne and Jokic (heavy on the cautious). Gary Harris will look to bounce back after a terrible rookie campaign. Harris was great and Michigan State, but could not get it going in the NBA. Once again, be cautiously optimistic about Harris (more on the optimistic this time). The trio of remaining guards, Nick Johnson, Will Barton, and Erick Green, are not expected to contribute much this season.
Question on Everyone’s Mind?
Will Emmanuel Mudiay be the star Denver has been missing?
Not since Carmelo Anthony have the Denver Nuggets had a true star. Yes, Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried are both very talented, but neither are near Carmelo’s level of talent. Fortunately for the Nuggets, Mudiay has the kind talent that can catapult him to the top of his position. Mudiay shares a lot of similarities as another point guard, a point guard that many consider to be one of the best in the league. That point guard is John Wall. Like Wall, Mudiay is big, fast, explosive, a good slasher, and a good passer. Also like a young John Wall, Mudiay is a bad shooter, has a hard time hitting the brakes, and has a high turnover rate. All of these are fixable problems though. John Wall has steadily improved in each of these weaknesses over the years, and continues to improve. While I believe that when John Wall entered the NBA, he was more talented than Mudiay, I still have high hopes for Mudiay. I’m not sure if Mudiay is an All-NBA guard, but I do believe he will be a perennial all-star.
Season Outlook
It’s going to be a rough season, but a fun season. If you’re a Nuggets fan, don’t take this season to seriously. Just laugh at Nurkic’s antics, and be amazed at what your young point guard can do. Most importantly, just be patient. Things will eventually come together. I predict a return to form for the Manimal, Jusuf Nurkic will become the fanbases most popular player, Emmanuel Mudiay will finish second in the Rookie of the Year voting, and a starter will get traded.
Las Vegas Over/Under – 26.5
Prediction – Under with 26, finishing 13th in the West
Check out the other installments of our NBA season preview.
