NBA Power Rankings: Overwhelming Boston Celtics look to repeat as training camps open

5. Denver Nuggets

Heading into the start of the season, the Denver Nuggets are somewhat operating under the radar in the Western Conference. And there could be legit reasons why. Losing Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in back-to-back offseasons could finally begin catching up with the Nuggets. Even though neither of these players would be considered stars on their own, they were huge parts of Denver's championship core. Even though the Nuggets still have a star-studded roster, not having the glue pieces on the team could end up hurting the team massively as they look to reemerge as a contender this year.

If the Nuggets can find other pieces to step up in their absences this season, there's reason to believe the Nuggets could once again be a strong threat to win the West. But at least for now, that remains to be seen.

I still believe the Nuggets are going to be very good and could potentially make another run to the NBA Finals but at least to start the season, there are very real concerns surrounding this team.