11. Denver Nuggets
It’s amazing how the outlook of a franchise can change once it gets (or figures out it already has) a star on its hands.
Nikola Jokic was nothing short of a revelation last season. No, he doesn’t really defend, he commits silly fouls, and he has yet to start even a season’s worth of games. But at 22 years old, he already has as diverse an offensive repertoire as any center in the NBA. He is a borderline top ten NBA asset.
Surrounding Jokic are several other young pieces who flashed at different times last year, none more so than rookie Jamal Murray, who seems like an untouchable amidst all the trade speculation that surrounded the team this summer. The only question here surrounds a front office that is generally well regarded but looks a lot worse after giving up a first round draft pick to get rid of Jusuf Nurkic.
They’re also still a piece away, and as good as the Millsap signing was, he doesn’t jive with their long term timeline. Mudiay seems like a bust, and the team is now too good to land a premium pick. As well as they’ve drafted the last few years, they just miss the cut on our top ten teams here.
Path to Glory: Figure out a way for the offense to run through Nurkic and Murray without a traditional point guard, consolidate their assets for one more long term piece, get lucky again in next year’s draft, and hope Millsap’s signing was a sign of things to come for future free agents.