Denver Nuggets: 2022 title odds higher than expected
By Sean Carroll
The Denver Nuggets will enter the 2021-22 season with the seventh-best odds at winning a title according to WynnBET. It puts the Nuggets ahead of teams like the LA Clippers, Miami Heat, and Dallas Mavericks even with Jamal Murray out for most, if not all, of next season.
The current order is as follows:
- Brooklyn Nets: +200
- Los Angeles Lakers: +400
- Golden State Warriors: +1000
- Milwaukee Bucks: +1200
- Philadelphia 76ers: +1500
- Phoenix Suns: +1500
- Denver Nuggets: +2000
Before the Jamal injury last season, the Nuggets were a sneaky pick for the 2020-21 NBA championship but without one of the teams’ best players, Denver fell apart against the Phoenix Suns.
Related Story. What will Jamal Murray look like when he returns?. light
Even with the NBA MVP in Nikola Jokic, the Phoenix Suns averaged 121.5 points per game in the four-game sweep while Denver only managed 105.8. Jokic averaged 25 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in the series but it didn’t matter.
Is there something to read into these title odds? Is there a certain confidence about the Denver Nuggets roster that I’m missing out on?
Denver Nuggets 2022 title odds: What does it mean for Jamal Murray’s injury?
ACL tears typically take a calendar year to recover from, and even then, the player needs a bit of time to get back into game shape. The worst part of Jamal’s injury is that it happened during the COVID-19-shortened season, meaning a calendar year doesn’t directly align with next season.
WynnBET believes in Jamal’s ability to return to full strength this season, not just next season. If that’s the case, then Denver might even be higher than seventh on this list.
It also impacts how the Nuggets should approach this offseason. AsI wrote in the recent dream offseason article, Denver will be trying to win next year but mainly focusing on gearing up for the following season:
"“The Nuggets will likely change their outlook on this offseason. With a healthy Jamal, the goal would’ve been to retool and build around this core to contend in 2021-22. With Murray sidelined, Denver can focus on competing in the 2022-23 season, after which Murray should be ramping back to full strength.”"
Maybe Nuggets fans can be much more optimistic entering this offseason, is there a window for a title next season as well? It might have more to do with Nikola Jokic than a healthy Jamal.
Denver Nuggets 2022 title odds: Nikola Jokic’s spot in the league’s elite
Small market, European, no draft pedigree. All those reasons, and more, lead to people debating Nikola Jokic’s MVP candidacy. Yes, it was definitely a discussion, but after Jamal’s injury, Jokic ran away with the trophy.
He put up counting stats of 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists while shooting 57 percent from the floor, and 39 percent from behind the arc.
But it’s more than just his own numbers, when Jokic was on the court, the Nuggets scored 13.3 more points per 100 possessions, had a 5.7 percent better assist percentage, and turned the ball over less per basketball-reference’s on-off data.
The team’s effective field goal percentage jumped by 4.9 percentage points, a near league-leading mark, and his teammates took 2.9 more free throws per 100 when he was on the court according to Cleaning the Glass.
Jokic is incredible and Nuggets fans are so lucky he’s a new age Tim Duncan in a navy and yellow jersey.
WynnBET must agree and Jokic’s regular season excellence and consistency (zero games missed last season) will only help get Denver favorable playoff matchups. With an elite Jokic, healthy Jamal, and solid supporting cast, why shouldn’t this team have the seventh-best odds.
Speaking of that exact supporting cast:
Denver Nuggets 2022 title odds: Michael Porter Jr.’s development
Michael Porter Jr., the steal of the 2018 draft, is extension-eligible this offseason and Tim Connelly has said he’s hoping to get a deal done. And boy is that a smart decision.
After sending in an elite season in its own right, the post-Jamal injury MPJ was absolutely scorching hot from everywhere, and showed off the fact that he can be a solid second option.
Following Murray’s ACL injury, MPJ averaged 22.8 points a night while hitting 55 percent from the floor, 45 percent from 3-point range, and 86 percent from the free throw line. He took on the role as the second option behind Nikola Jokic and excelled.
Entering next season, there will be a near entire season with MPJ as the main perimeter scorer and who knows what the 23-year-old will be able to do.
In a best-case scenario, MPJ grows into one of the more dependable wing scorers in the NBA that only gets boosted when Jamal returns. The thing about Porter is that he can make shots from anywhere, on or off the ball.
He’ll excel as the second option next to the pass-happy Jokic but can work around a Murray-Jokic pick-and-roll action with his lethal shooting.
Some Nuggets fans I’ve spoken to worry about having three elite scorers the court at one time. I don’t think it’s an issue at all, I honestly believe Jokic would be happy with no points and 20 assists if he could do it every night and there are more than enough points to go around for MPJ and Murray.
If Murray returns, Jokic keeps up his MVP pace, and MPJ solidifies his role in the offense, this team is nestled in perfectly with the seventh-best title odds. If Murray isn’t healthy for the playoffs, it’s more of a question.
Next. Four players the Nuggets can go after in free agency. dark