3 Biggest threats to Denver Nuggets’ back-to-back title hopes
By Sam LaFrance
The Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018, the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013, the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010. These are the last three teams to have done what the Denver Nuggets hope to accomplish this season — win back-to-back NBA championships.
Denver will have a solid chance of doing so. For starters, they’ve got one of the top-five players in the league. Nikola Jokic has won two-of-three MVP awards, and really could’ve won a third last season too. The big man put up monster numbers all year, averaging 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game while shooting an unreal 63.2% from the field and 38.3% from beyond the arc.
Not to mention that he turned things up a notch in the postseason, posting 30 points per game on the way to winning the Finals MVP.
On top of that, the Nuggets have the advantage of bringing back their entire starting lineup from last season’s championship team. Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Michael Porter Jr. are all looking to run the table once again.
Unfortunately for Denver, they weren’t able to keep the entire rotation together. Both Bruce Brown and Jeff Green departed this summer as free agents, joining the Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets, respectively.
To make matters worse, Vlatko Cancar, who was set to inherit many of the minutes the former Nuggets forwards were playing, tore his ACL playing in a FIBA World Cup preliminary game and will be out indefinitely.
With all of that being said, the Nuggets are still favorites to win the 2023-24 NBA title with +475 odds, according to DraftKings sportsbook.
Over the past few days, there’s been a fair amount of talk online about which team serves as the biggest threat to keep Denver from repeating as champions.
Let’s take a look.