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Denver Nuggets: Three very bold predictions

By Grayson Moore

DENVER, CO - APRIL 9: Jamal Murray (27) of the Denver Nuggets smiles as he walks off the court after the second half of the Nuggets' 88-82 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday, April 9, 2018. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - APRIL 9: Jamal Murray (27) of the Denver Nuggets smiles as he walks off the court after the second half of the Nuggets' 88-82 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday, April 9, 2018. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images) /
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DENVER, CO – March 10: Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) high fives Denver Nuggets forward Paul Millsap (4) during a timeout against the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 10, 2017, in Denver, Colorado at Pepsi Center. (Photo by John Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – March 10: Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) high fives Denver Nuggets forward Paul Millsap (4) during a timeout against the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 10, 2017, in Denver, Colorado at Pepsi Center. (Photo by John Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images) /

Prediction #2: Two Nuggets players will make the All-Star game

With the level of talent in the West, this conjecture may sound insane. And it is a bit crazy. But it is certainly possible.

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Nikola Jokic is essentially a lock for the All-Star game next year.

His competition at the center position includes Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, DeMarcus Cousins, and possibly Clint Capela. Here’s why he’ll make the game over all of them.

KAT has the talent and national exposure, but his team is falling into pieces. Andrew Wiggins has actually gotten worse since his second year in the league(2015-16 RPM score: -1.17, 33rd among qualified SFs, 2017-18 RPM score: -1.62, 59th among qualified SFs) and Jimmy Butler has reportedly been very bothered by the Kentucky products’ work ethic (or lack thereof) and behavior.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see KAT put up another 20 and 10 season, but the Timberwolves possible lack of team success could make voters shy away from Towns.

Rudy Gobert is actually one of the most talented centers in today’s game and definitely a top-3 defender in the league. I am actually a pretty big fan of the Stifle Tower and I believe he has been worthy of the All-Star game for the past 2 seasons (leader in DRPM in 2016-17 and 2017-18 according to ESPN). However, he doesn’t put up enough points to get the national recognition necessary to get All-Star appearances and the Jazz likely won’t get much recognition either outside of Donovan Mitchell.

DeMarcus Cousins certainly will have the talent and team success necessary to earn a spot at the game, but he might get a little too much team success. The Warriors already have 4 All-Stars. Who knows how Boogie will mesh in the Warriors system, how he’ll fit in the locker room, or how many touches he’ll get.

He’s projected to be the 4th option on Golden State, which probably won’t be good enough to make the team in an already stacked Western Conference. Not to mention, he just suffered one of the most devastating injuries an athlete can obtain and he will soon be leaving his physical prime. As a player whose game was built around having superior athleticism, that is not a good sign for the future.

Finally Clint Capela. He’s already a long shot to make it, as his contribution to the Rockets can’t be seen in points per game or really even blocks per game, 2 major considerations for voters.

If the Rockets are successful enough and he puts up something like  15 ppg and 13 rpg, he would have a chance, but his odds are so low I don’t really want to spend any more energy writing about them.

That leaves Nikola Jokic. A man who just became the first player to ever average 18+ ppg, 10+ rpg, and 6+ apg in 33 mpg or less. A man who shot 45.9% from 3-point range after the All-Star break and put up 10 triple doubles as a center last season.

With the additions of Isaiah Thomas and Monte Morris and the further development of the young players on the roster, the Nuggets could finally get the national recognition needed to get this dude in the All-Star game. If the Nuggets come into the break hot, I don’t see any reason Jokic wouldn’t be chosen.

That leaves one more Nugget to make the game.

The top contender would probably be Paul Millsap, as he’s one of two players on the Nuggets roster to have made an All-Star game. In fact, he’s made 4 of them. If his defensive expertise can lead the Nuggets to a top-15 defense and a top-4 seed in the West and he cans around 2 3-pointers a game, he would definitely be an option to make the game.

The other most likely candidates would be Gary Harris, Jamal Murray, and Isaiah Thomas.

I’ll start with Harris. If he can play All-Defensive 1st Team caliber defense while putting up 19-20 points per game, he would be a very strong candidate for the All-Star game.

Murray is probably the least likely among these 3 to make the game as he will likely operate as a second option this season. However, he has the potential to put up over 20 points per game, maybe even more. If he can be the top scorer on a Nuggets offense ranked at the top of the league, he would certainly be considered by the voters.

Finally Isaiah Thomas. He is the wild card this season. He could be nothing more than an average bench player. Or he could return to his explosive scoring of the past and take over the starting point guard gig from Murray(I’m not suggesting benching Murray, just moving him to SG).

Thomas is definitely one of the most talented players on this roster, but we will have to see how he recovers from the hip injury that plagued him all of last season.

If he can recover effectively, he will be a force to be reckoned with, and possibly a candidate for the All-Star game.

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