Denver Nuggets: 5 reasons why the Nuggs can win the West
By Tyler Hurst
5. There Is No Dominant Team In The Western Conference
Five games separate the top 10 teams in the Western Conference. On any given day, somebody could catapult from the ten seed to the five seed with only 1-2 additional wins. As mentioned in the open, the defending champion Warriors find themselves as the 10 seed and are without superstar Stephen Curry for the foreseeable future.
The best team in the west from last season, Phoenix, finds itself 20-17 and is one of the most inconsistent teams in the league. When healthy, the Clippers look great, but they can’t keep a healthy lineup for two games much less a whole playoff series at this point. Luka is dazzling with the Mavericks, but the supporting cast around him is still shaky.
Besides Denver, the only other consistent players in the West are currently Memphis and New Orleans. The Grizzlies were able to get some playoff experience last season, but are still very much a green team that occasionally gets in its own way. The Pelicans and Zion Williamson are an awesome story, but much like the Grizzlies, are very young and its new core hasn’t even won a playoff series yet.
The Nuggets have been to the playoffs for four straight years and even went to the Conference Finals in the 2020 “Bubble” season. That conference finals team had a pre-MVP Jokic and a 23-year-old Jamal Murray leading the way.
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The Nuggets core has grown up since then and the team has more talent than ever surrounding them. Health will be the biggest dealbreaker, but if Denver can avoid any major injuries, there’s no reason to say they can’t take the next steps to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.