Denver Nuggets takeaway No. 3: Can they remain as a contender in the West?
One of the hardest things to do in the NBA is to get back to the Western Conference Finals the year after you made it. Look at all the great teams in the West that have failed to do it recently – Portland Trail Blazers, Grit ‘N Grind Memphis Grizzlies, and Oklahoma City Thunder. It will be a tall task for the Nuggets to go back to the Western Conference Finals especially with how the West is made up.
The big question from here is where do the Nuggets go from here?
They do have some key players that can hit free agency. Paul Millsap, Mason Plumlee, and Torrey Craig are all key role players that are unrestricted free agents this offseason. Jerami Grant, who was a huge piece for the Nuggets this postseason, has a player option. After the performance he had in the postseason, he will almost certainly opt-out for a big payday.
The reality is that the Nuggets could lose most if not all of these players come to free agency. It will be interesting to see how they manage their cap space due to Jamal Murray’s extension kicking in. How many of their free agents will they actually be able to bring back? Something the Nuggets will have to think about is Michael Porter Jr. ready to be a starter for this team. This could allow them to use their cap space on another player they would need.
The Nuggets had an incredible season and the future looks bright for both Jokic and Murray. The biggest question for the Nuggets moving forward is how do they improve? Can the front office surround Jokic and Murray with enough talent to make it back to the Western Conference Finals? Only time will tell us these answers.