The Denver Nuggets need one more piece before contending
It’s a huge shame that we won’t get to see this Denver Nuggets team at full strength in these playoffs. With no established super teams in the West and the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers battered and bruised, the climate was ripe for an upset.
It also would’ve been great to see what the Nuggets needed to upgrade in this offseason after bolstering their roster with the Aaron Gordon trade.
In my opinion, Denver needs one more perimeter stopper just to throw at some of the best in the West. AG is an athletic wing who will be tasked with the big wings (LeBron James, Kevin Durant, etc.) but who is guarding the smaller, more nimble players like Donovan Mitchell or James Harden?
Last playoffs it was Gary Harris who put the clamps on Donovan, providing some crucial defensive minutes in Game 7 of the first round, but with his offense constantly failing him, it was a no-brainer to include him in the trade with Orlando.
In a worst-case scenario, another minimum player like Torrey Craig can at least give head coach Michael Malone another option if MPJ still isn’t ready to take the bigger assignments. Or is there a veteran out there who’s willing to take a discount to give the Nuggets an elite wing defender?
The sad part, if a veteran is taking a discount to compete for a title, Denver looks like a worse option next season if Jamal Murray isn’t playing at all or in a limited capacity. We’ll just have to wait and see.