2. Denver Nuggets
I generally like the pencil in the defending champs in the No. 1 spot in our season-opening NBA Power Rankings, but I think this season is a natural exception. That doesn’t mean the Nuggets still won’t have a good shot to repeat as champions, though. Every key part of the team’s championship run is coming back, with the exception of Bruce Brown. If the Nuggets can find a way to develop another energy producer off the bench, they should have a great chance to make the NBA Finals again.
The Nuggets know what they’re going to get out of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Those two superstars are in the midst of their prime years and very much could have another championship run in them. If Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. can continue to be supporting stars, the Nuggets should be primed for another historic season.
There will be bigger and better obstacles that the Nuggets will have to clear but this team is now battle-tested and has championship pedigree.