The Denver Nuggets are riding high after winning their first-ever NBA Championship in 2023. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon all helped to propel the Nuggets to the top of the mountain this spring.
Denver’s trio impressed so much that Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley named them the NBA’s best Big 3.
For those wondering about the sharpshooting Michael Porter Jr., he got a nice name-drop in Buckley’s opening paragraph.
“How good are the Nuggets? You could replace Gordon with Michael Porter Jr., and Denver would still have ranked No. 1 on this list,” he wrote.
Buckley relied heavily on advanced statistics to argue his point, citing the trio’s combined plus-minus of 14.9. That number is in the 99th percentile of all trios in the league.
Of course, there’s the easy argument that they just won a championship and should be respect as the best Big 3 as well.
The really selling point for Buckley is the fact that all three guys have room to improve this year — except Jokic, who is already widely considered to be the best player in the league.
Murray had a tremendous playoff-run and seems ready to vault into All-Star status, while Gordon is coming off of a career season. The 2014 No. 4 overall pick averaged 16.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, and played some lock down defense too.
Do the Denver Nuggets actually have the NBA’s best trio?
Maybe.
It’s really tough to argue against the defending champs, but there is certainly great competition around the league.
Not far from the Mile-High City, the Phoenix Suns are rolling out Buckley’s second-favorite group: Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. The Suns landed Beal in a trade from the Washington Wizards this summer, further strengthening their roster. With the him now in the fold, and Durant having a full season to get adjusted in the desert, who knows what Phoenix could accomplish.
In the East, the Boston Celtics are looking like a force to be reckoned with. President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens went all in for former Wizards center Kristaps Porzingis, trading longtime staple Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of the three-team deal. The Latvian joins the already established young-duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as Boston looks to hang Banner 18.
What’s with the Wizards just letting teams get better, right?