NBA: Way-too-early bold pre-season playoff predictions for the 2023-24 season

Western Conference 2nd seed

2. Denver Nuggets 

I believe that the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets are going to pick up where they left off last season. They are returning roughly their entire team and should still be a handful as a team. But, on the other hand, I’m not sure if there’s getting much better for the Nuggets. And that’s one concern that I have for this team – have they already peaked? It wouldn’t be a terrible thing if the Nuggets have already peaked, but it doesn’t help them heading into this season.

I’d be concerned about the loss of Bruce Brown. It may not seem like a huge loss on paper, but he was a huge part of the consistent onslaught that they would throw at opposing teams. Replacing him could prove to be difficult and if Christian Braun isn’t up to it, I’m not sure how the Nuggets are going to pull it off.

That said, I don’t think any of those issues will plague the team during the regular season. I predict that the Nuggets will once again finish with one of the best records in the league and head into the postseason as one of the favorites to win it all again.