10. Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray
After narrowly missing the playoffs in 2018, the Denver Nuggets showed tremendous improvement this past season, finishing the regular season 54-28 as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, largely due to the efforts of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Jokic is the unquestioned leader of a young, deep Nuggets squad that figures to be a contender for years to come. Despite his lack of elite athleticism, Jokic is able to impact the game as an elite passer and skilled scorer. He averaged career-highs of 20.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game in the regular season, all marked improvements over his previous averages.
Meanwhile, Murray emerged as a lethal scorer from the point guard position, averaging 18.2 points per game and shooting close to 37 percent from 3-point range.
While there is an argument that duos such as Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis of the Dallas Mavericks or Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, Murray and Jokic are buoyed by two factors: their upward trajectories and strong playoff performances. Both players have seen statistical improvement every year since entering the league and have yet to enter their respective primes while avoiding major injuries.
Jokic turned in one of the best overall performances of the postseason, averaging 25.1 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game and staking his claim to the title of the NBA’s best center. Murray also raised his scoring average to 21.3 points per game in the postseason. However, statistics do not tell the whole story. Both players were vital to Denver’s success, acting as go-to options when on the floor and giving fans a glimpse of the superstar potential that this young duo boasts.