With the Denver Nuggets being defending NBA champs, it’s hard to say that they won’t replicate a lot of the success that they had last season. Sure, a few names on their team left in free agency and were replaced with lesser names, but even so, with Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray still at the helm of this team, they still should be super competitive.
Last season, the Nuggets only had 51.5 projected wins before the regular season even started. Their odds to win the NBA Finals were tied for 9th with the Los Angeles Lakers, who weren’t even in the playoffs during the trade deadline.
This season, those odds look a lot better than they did last season. Their preseason odds to win the 2024 NBA Finals are tied for the best in the whole league with the Boston Celtics. A repeating championship could definitely be in the cards for the Denver Nuggets.
It’s really impossible to get predictions correct 100%, and that’s definitely true for sports, as well. Some things in sports can be projected, but it does not mean that it is for certain. No one really guessed that the Denver Nuggets would have run through the playoffs like they did, but now that they have, that prediction looks a lot better for next season.
A lot of places have the Denver Nuggets projected as one of the NBA’s best teams next season, which makes sense. They were the best team in the Western Conference last season and were one of the best teams in the whole league, too.
What would a good win/loss prediction look like for Denver? Obviously, they’re going to be a title contender for this season, barring any injury, but what win total would be good enough for the Nuggets?
Nikola Jokić should have another MVP-caliber season ahead of him, and he’s been consistently one of the best players in the whole NBA for multiple seasons now. Jamal Murray could be an All-Star for the first time in his career, and maybe the same for Aaron Gordon.
The bench could be a big factor in Denver’s success. Considering both Bruce Brown and Jeff Green left in free agency, their success could really take a hit compared to last season. Brown was Denver’s 6th man and an amazing glue guy last year, and even though Green was an older veteran, he still was a super reliable bench piece.
Christian Braun will definitely have his hands full to try and be the team’s 6th man and replicate a bit of what Bruce Brown did in his lone season in Denver. Compared to a lot of contenders, the Nuggets’ bench looks a bit lackluster. A lot of inexperienced players and young guys, outside of a few names. The starting five is a powerhouse, but NBA teams are not successful on only five players.
Yes, the team has some flaws, like every team, but their strengths really outweigh the flaws at the end of the day. Some say defense wins championships, but Denver’s defense wasn’t the best in the regular season, but they still pulled off a title.
With all of that being said, what would a realistic record be for the Denver Nuggets?
The Denver Nuggets will go 58-24 next season
58 wins for the Denver Nuggets is nothing to sneeze at, as 58 wins was the best record in the whole NBA last year, as the Milwaukee Bucks got that win total. The Nuggets had the best record in the Western Conference last year with 53 wins and were ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies by two games.
Realistically, the Nuggets should have home-court advantage in the playoffs, even if they come a bit short of their projected win total. They still should be a great team really regardless of what happens next season, so being near the top of the Western Conference should be expected.
There is a chance that the Denver Nuggets out-perform the given win total, and that’s okay. Even though they’ve won a title, they’re still a bit underappreciated and underrated.