NBA: Way-too-early championship contender rankings for 2021

3. Denver Nuggets

Mike Malone’s young Denver Nuggets team turned the corner a year ago recovering from multiple 3-1 series deficits to get to the Western Conference Finals. Jamal Murray emerged as a more consistent lead guard to coincide with the All-NBA greatness of Nikola Jokic, and the team’s overall depth pitched in to hold water when their top dogs had slight slippage.

Their issue was the consistency of a third scoring option to pair with their dynamic duo. The loss of Will Barton caught up with them against the Lakers when LA roughed up Jokic inside and put a ton of lengthy bodies around Murray to limit his offensive productivity. Jerami Grant is a solid swiss army knife defensively that has improved as a scoring threat off the bounce, but his jump shot just isn’t fluid enough to be labeled as a consistent two-way player.

Gary Harris fell off a cliff as the team’s starting shooting guard in the bubble providing a two-guard hole they continuously alluded to as an issue throughout the playoffs. However, the team’s young prospects in Bol Bol and Michael Porter Jr. hold the keys to the nugget’s championship future.

Both showed flashes throughout the bubble of providing a sense of impactful young talent that can help perpetuate Denver past the elites out West. In order for that to happen, they have to get the requisite opportunities to do so, and it’s expected Malone will loosen the reigns and let the young Nuggets play. Porter Jr. taking a Most Improved Player leap is in the horizon and allows the team to maximize their championship upside come May and June.