The long wait for preseason basketball has finally come to an end, and the 2022-23 NBA regular season lies just around the corner.
The Denver Nuggets will boast one of their healthiest and most versatile squads in years. The much-anticipated returns of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. to NBA action will allow the Nuggets to roll out one of the best starting lineups in all of basketball, assuming the team can maintain full health.
This season, Denver can lean on several offensive threats within their first and second unit. While Nikola Jokic typically manages to run an elite offense regardless of the players around him, it will help the back-to-back MVP to have his second and third options by his side once again.
The Nuggets also made vast improvements on the defensive side of the ball this offseason, filling a major need with the signing of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and his stout perimeter defense. The return of Davon Reed and the arrival of Bruce Brown should also shore up the team’s defensive depth.
Bolstered by a proven offense with elite weapons and newfound depth, Denver has its sights firmly set on a maiden NBA championship.
As the Denver Nuggets gear up for one of their most important seasons in franchise history, here are the five most important players for the team heading into the 2022-23 NBA season.
Nikola Jokic
This may be the most obvious No. 1 choice, but it is also the only No. 1 choice.
The Joker is far and away the most valuable player on the Denver Nuggets, and there is no question about it. Last year, he led his team in all five major statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks), becoming just the sixth player in NBA history to do so.
Jokic also led Denver in field-goal percentage last season, shooting 58.3 percent from the field through 74 games while playing 2,476 total minutes.
Many would argue that the Serbian seven-footer provides more value to his team than anyone else on the planet. After all, his consecutive MVP trophies certainly help his case.
The Big Honey will welcome the long-awaited comebacks of Murray and MPJ, two players who can take on some of the playmaking and shot-creating burdens Jokic shouldered last season. Without these two young talents, the superstar center still led the Nuggets to the sixth-best offensive rating in the NBA last season.
In total, Jokic will have six different teammates who scored double-digit points per game last season. Bruce Brown notched 9.0 points per contest as well, shooting 50.6 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from three.
Year after year, Jokic has treated Nuggets fans to some of the most intelligent and efficient basketball out there. This season, the Joker will aim to translate his unique brand of hoops into one that finally wins his team a championship.
But he can’t do it alone.
Jamal Murray
Since Denver drafted him in 2016, the Blue Arrow has developed incredible on-court chemistry with Jokic. The dynamic duo has mastered the two-man game to perfection, keeping opponents on their toes with a variety of plays to choose from.
The pairing often takes advantage of Jokic’s versatility as a scorer and passer, running several different actions off of the big man’s elite screens.
Murray runs pick-and-roll extremely well with Jokic, often finding the big man close to the basket where he becomes one of the league’s hardest players to guard. The duo also dissects defenses with pick-and-pop action. Jokic is a career 34.5 percent three-point shooter, but he shoots 35.9 percent when Murray is on the floor with him, according to StatMuse.
In the playoffs, Jokic’s sharpshooting next to Murray becomes even more impressive as he nails an incredible 41.6 percent of his attempts from downtown (up from 39.6 percent for his entire postseason career).
Murray’s speed and finishing abilities also allow him to fly to the hoop off of give-and-go action, as well as nail threes behind Jokic’s best screens. A career 40.9 percent three-point shooter in the playoffs, Murray is a certified sniper with the ability to knock down deep shots from just about anywhere on the court.
Murray and Jokic have dominated multiple playoff series since they booked their maiden postseason berth in 2019, most notably torching the Jazz and the Clippers en route to their 2020 Western Conference Finals showing.
Like his superstar big man, Murray is just 25 years old. Even after a two-year stretch of recovery from a torn ACL, the Canadian combo guard has more than enough time to win a ring alongside the reigning MVP.
However, Denver will likely need to ease Murray into a full workload as the season progresses. Murray must return to his old self again in order to make a significant impact, and a successful recovery process will certainly help.
Michael Porter Jr.
Michael Porter Jr. played just nine games last year, leaving Jokic with one of his thinnest supporting casts to date. The 24-year-old’s unfortunate injury history continued as back surgery sidelined him for the season last November.
Similar to Murray’s situation, it remains to be seen what version of Porter Jr. we will get. Having dealt with back problems since his high school days, MPJ may need some time to get his basketball feet under him.
In an interview with Harrison Wind, DNVR Sports, DeAndre Jordan pointed out Porter Jr. and Murray as the two players who stood out to him the most during the first two days of training camp:
"“I like Jamal. People kind of forget about a player when they’ve had the whole year off. I think that him being back and being healthy is gonna help our team so much. Another guy is Mike. Mike looks extremely aggressive, and he’s taking shots. He’s hitting tough shots.”"
Porter Jr. is a phenomenal talent, but his health remains a legitimate concern. Picked at No. 14 in the draft four summers ago, the versatile forward has only played 60 games in a season once.
Unsurprisingly, his healthiest season was far and away his best. During his 2020-21 campaign, MPJ averaged 19.0 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game while nailing a jaw-dropping 44.5 percent of his three-pointers. He also sunk close to 80 percent of his free throws and shot 54.2 percent from the field overall.
A true three-level scorer, MPJ can beat defenders any way he likes. Whether he is taking his man off the dribble or launching jumpers from beyond the arc, the 6-foot-10 hooper can dice up just about anyone.
In the 2020-21 season, Porter Jr. supported his three-point mastery with an above-average 48.3 percent clip from the mid-range area and a 77.5 percent conversion of his shots in the restricted area.
Armed with a beautiful shooting stroke (arguably the best of any player his height), Porter Jr. clearly possesses the versatility, size, and skill to attack the rim with great success while shooting the lights out.
He just needs to stay healthy in order for the Denver Nuggets to take full advantage of his presence.
Bones Hyland
Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland put together one of the most underrated rookie seasons in NBA history. Given that Hyland played just 19 minutes per contest, his per-game averages of 10.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists (on 36.6 percent shooting from three) were beyond impressive.
In fact, the young combo guard averaged the most ever three-pointers per 36 minutes by a rookie with 3.6 triples a night.
He also became one of five rookies ever to average 15 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds per 36 minutes on at least 55 percent true shooting. The other four players? Ben Simmons, Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan.
Named to last year’s All-Rookie second team, the No. 26 pick led the Denver bench as its only double-digit scorer. Often keeping the second unit afloat with his contagious offensive energy, Bones seemed to flash more and more potential with every game he played.
Arguably the NBA’s best-kept secret, Hyland plays some breathtaking basketball when he receives significant minutes off the bench.
Hyland played 20 minutes or more in 30 games last season. In those contests, he averaged 14.9 points per game on 47.9 percent shooting from the field and 42.4 percent shooting from three. Hyland also averaged a positive plus-minus of 6.1 in those games as the team went 18-12 overall.
Meanwhile, the rookie’s shooting splits take an abysmal hit when he receives less than 20 minutes. In 39 games playing fewer than 20 minutes last season, Hyland knocked down just 31.3 percent of his field goal attempts and shot only 29.4 percent from deep.
Unlike many young talents, Hyland’s efficiency absolutely skyrockets when his minutes do the same. Bones should adopt an even bigger role in Denver’s offense this season as he looks to inject more life into the Nuggets’ second unit, which finished a mediocre 13th in points per game and 24th in field-goal percentage last season.
Hyland will likely serve as the Denver Nuggets’ clear sixth man and primary scoring option off the bench. If he takes a monumental jump during his sophomore season, his dynamic presence could help the Nuggets surge to title contention.
Aaron Gordon
Rounding out the list is Aaron Gordon, another one of the NBA’s best-kept secrets.
Many basketball fans remember the high-flying forward for his legendary dunk contest performances. However, “Air Gordon” does much more than simply punish the rim for the Denver Nuggets.
Since arriving in Denver via trade during the 2020-21 season, Gordon has developed into one of the NBA’s premier defenders. The versatile 27-year-old effectively guards one through five better than most, and he consistently takes on the assignment of the opposing team’s best player, night in and night out.
In April 2021, Mike Singer of The Denver Post described the luxury Denver gains from Gordon’s presence.
He also mentioned a week-long stretch where Gordon guarded Kawhi Leonard, Trae Young, Ben Simmons, and John Collins. The Nuggets went 3-0 during that stretch and boasted a top-ten defensive rating.
Last season, Gordon produced the most efficient campaign of his career so far. Nikola Jokic’s impact has seemingly transformed Gordon into a different player from his days in Orlando.
During his time with the Magic, Gordon averaged 12.9 points per game and shot 44.7 percent from the field.
Since joining the Denver Nuggets, Gordon has played and started in 100 games. He played 75 of those games last season, averaging 15.0 points per contest while shooting a career-high 52.0 percent from the field and draining 33.5 percent of his threes. Gordon even sunk a career-high 74.3 percent of his free throws.
Furthermore, Gordon also knocked down 60.5 percent of his two-point shots, marking a seven-percent improvement upon his second-best season in that category.
Gordon does have limitations when it comes to his offensive game. The 6-foot-8 forward has disappointed in two playoff showings with the Nuggets, coming up particularly short last season when he shot 42.6 percent from the field and 20.0 percent from downtown in five games against the eventual 2022 NBA champs.
However, Gordon slots in as the fourth option at best when the Nuggets are at full strength. He should not be expected to carry a significant offensive load over the course of next season, but his defensive versatility will prove vital.
In seven games without Gordon last season, the Nuggets saw their defensive rating dip from 112.1 to 115.7. While players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown will provide the Nuggets with defensive help on the perimeter, Gordon will continue to serve as Denver’s defensive anchor.