The Denver Nuggets had quite a successful 2021 campaign, even if they did not come out with a championship to prove it. A young team on the rise continued to develop its star talents in Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, while the emergence of players such as Michael Porter Jr. and Facundo Campazzo played key roles throughout the year.
From career nights to key victories against competitive teams, the Nuggets have continued to show during 2021 that they are one of the best teams in the world. Through the ups and downs, the team continued to show up and bring it all to every game.
Led by MVP Nikola Jokic and some key moves and development, the Nuggets look set to have another big year in 2022. While a lot of things happened in the franchise this past year, some were more important than others and will have an impact for years to come.
Here are five of the key points for the Denver Nuggets this past calendar year:
Michael Porter Jr. signs his max extension with the Denver Nuggets
Michael Porter Jr. was considered a steal in the draft for the Nuggets back in 2018. Injuries had pushed him down in the draft after he was considered a top prospect. After slowly getting back into his rhythm once making his way into the NBA, 2021 was the year he finally started to find his game in the absence of Jamal Murray.
Porter Jr. was crucial during the Nuggets latter season campaign in the 2020-21 season and the subsequent playoffs. This helped the young star in the making ink a massive extension with the team, despite his injury history.
The 23-year-old signed a five year, $207 million extension from his rookie contract, despite trade rumours early in the season. Porter Jr. will have to work to prove that he is worth the extension, but his potential certainly is through the roof.
Denver Nuggets acquire the Grand Rapids Gold
The year also saw the Denver Nuggets get a new G-League affiliate team, which the team renamed the Grand Rapids Gold. This was a great opportunity for the Nuggets, as it gave them their own G League team to send the young guys down to and help them develop and grow.
The Gold has also seen some former NBA talent join the team, with players such as Lance Stephenson, Isaiah Thomas and Kenneth Faried providing highlights for the team, with the team finishing 2021 with a 5-8 record.
However, the team did have highlights including Lance Stephenson triple doubles and a 43-point explosion for IT that helped him make his way back into the NBA. Grand Rapids Gold will be helpful for the team going further, as it will give the Nuggets a chance to call up younger players who could help the team make an impact under a head coach with NBA experience.
Denver Nuggets: The Aaron Gordon trade
Aaron Gordon has been an integral piece to this Nuggets team since he was traded from the Orlando Magic to Denver. The trade occurred on 26 Mar. 2021, with the Nuggets receiving Aaron Gordon for Gary Harris and RJ Hampton.
While Hampton and Harris are solid contributors to the Orlando Magic now, the trade for Gordon helped fill a key forward position for the team. Gordon provided some scoring, defensive work and playmaking from the forward spot, making him a great partner for superstar big man Nikola Jokic.
Gordon has already agreed to an extension with the team, meaning that he will be sticking around for at least the next four years. Hopefully, he is able to help bring the Nuggets towards championship glory.
Denver Nuggets: The Jamal Murray injury
The Nuggets have a great core consisting of many terrific players, however, there is no question that the team was built around Nikola Jokic and star point guard Jamal Murray. That is why it was so devastating when Murray went down with a season-ending injury in April after he tore his ACL.
Murray has been essential to the Nuggets success, averaging 21.2 points, four rebounds, and 4.8 assists in the 2020-21 season before going down with a serious injury. While the Nuggets have the depth to field a good replacement starter, the team is not as dominant without Murray on the floor.
2022 will hopefully see Murray return to action alongside his teammates, as he recovers from the horrific injury. It will be good to see the future All-Star take the court once more.
Nikola Jokic becomes the first Denver Nuggets player to win the MVP
The biggest event of the year was superstar big man Nikola Jokic becoming the franchise’s first-ever MVP award winner for the 2020-21 season. Jokic was outstanding all year long, averaging 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game while leading the Nuggets to a 47-25 record.
Jokic became the lowest ever drafted player to win the award and the first second-round draft pick to win the award in a season the Serbian big man is unlikely to ever forget.
This Denver team would not be as successful as it is without Jokic’s presence, and the big man is likely to win more awards before his career wraps up. It will be interesting to see if the Nuggets can sustain their success during Jokic’s prime and turn this talented squad into a championship contender under his leadership in 2022.