Nuggets should be a go-to NBA League Pass team in 2017-18

An elite offense, Nikola Jokic’s passing, the arrival of Paul Millsap and a ton of budding young talent makes the Denver Nuggets a go-to NBA League Pass team for 2017-18.

With Nikola Jokic as a full-time starter, the Denver Nuggets had the best offensive team in the NBA last season. They led the league in that regard from December 15 onwards, which still seems almost hard to believe even this long after the season, what with teams like the Houston Rockets and, most notably, the Golden State Warriors firing on all cylinders. But thanks to a collection of shooting, talented young guards and Jokic orchestrating everything with his remarkable passing ability, the Nuggets took off with an elite offense.

It’s not just effective, though; it’s entertaining. While that may often be the case when looking at the NBA’s highest scoring teams, it’s especially true for the Nuggets thanks to Jokic by himself a lot of the time. He reads plays and player’s movements on the court before they happen, allowing him to maximize the artistic touch of his passes to creates easier looks for his teammates and raise the Nuggets’ offense to a new level. The team scoring 9.8 more points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor was no accident at all.

This alone gives you reason to watch the Nuggets next season, even more so because Jokic will be a starter from day one and his efforts to improve his conditioning this summer should help him stay on the court a little longer, too.

To further Jokic’s entertainment value, the development of his teammates will go a long way to elevating the Nuggets in their fight for a playoff seed in the gruelling Western Conference.

Gary Harris is one of the league’s best (and more underrated) young shooting guards in the league. He’s improved every year of his career and in addition to his defense, he’s developed as a shooter, capable driver and fantastic cutter to give him an average of 14.9 points per game with excellent shooting percentages of 50.2 from the floor overall and 42 from three.

Malik Beasley also showed more flashes of his offensive promise and athleticism in Summer League this year and should receive more minutes than the minimal 165 total he did in 2016-17.

And, without question, Jamal Murray is a talent that everyone should be looking out for next season. His combination of a smooth three-point shot, shooting off the dribble, craftiness and bounce getting to the rim and potential to grow as a ball handler all bode well for his growth as an already key part of the team.

Don’t forget Juancho Hernangomez either, who has plenty of upside as a fairly athletic 6’9″ power forward with trusty three-point range. With Harris (22), Beasley (20), Murray (20) and Hernangomez (21) all being so young, their likelihood of improving next season only adds to the Nuggets’ firepower outside of Jokic. Collectively, there are a host of pieces with skill, offensive talent and explosive entertainment value.

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Then, there’s the addition of All-Star and top-30 player Paul Millsap, whose own sound passing ability and well-rounded scoring will be a perfect fit at power forward next to Jokic. With him in the picture, things will only get better for Denver, even though Danilo Gallinari’s scoring has departed for the LA Clippers.

Of course, a lot of Millsap’s impact comes back to defense. He’s one of the best defensive forwards in the league thanks to his versatility, intelligence, communication, help defense and value as a supporting rim protector to ease the pressure on Jokic inside somewhat.

While defense may not be the most entertaining element of basketball for most fans, Millsap’s elite impact, partnered with the general development of the young players, will make the Nuggets far easier to watch at that end of the floor if they aren’t so painfully bad. With a ranking of 29th in defensive rating last season, their blown rotations and lacking communication was frustrating. Any improvement upon that only increases their opportunities to score in transition and overall competitiveness.

What’s not to like?

Next: Early Western Conference playoff predictions

Essentially, the Nuggets were fun for a lot of reasons last season, and they’re only going to better in 2017-18 as they fight their way up the West. If you don’t make them a go-to NBA League Pass team and enjoy what they have to offer, you’ll miss out.