Denver Nuggets
Breakout candidate: Michael Porter Jr.
The Denver Nuggets will enter the season as one of the favorites to earn a top seed in the Western Conference. Though, no one really expects this team to emerge out of the West in the playoffs. It should be insulting, considering how good this team was last season. Nevertheless, one player that could elevate this team’s ceiling is Michael Porter Jr.
He’s finally healthy and could be the player on this team with the greatest potential. Let’s remember, when healthy, this is the type of prospect that many expected to be at the top of any draft. The reason he fell to the Nuggets was because of the injury. Now that he’s healthy, the hope is that he can grow back into the player that many expected him to be coming out of high school.
Though, it’s going to take some time. We might not see MPJ’s real breakout stretch until the second half of the season. But, that’s a luxury that the Nuggets have. They have talent all over this roster. Adding a player like MPJ could really change the complexity of the hierarchy in the Western Conference come playoff time.