In a recent press conference, Christian Braun emphasized the excitement around this Nuggets season, stating that this is a “no excuse year”. He explained how this year, the team has everything they’ve ever wanted and everything that the people inside the locker room have ever asked for.
He pointed out that there’s a new energy and that with all of these positive upgrades and improvements, the Nuggets have no more excuses to not raise another banner. Sure, there was some bad luck and tough circumstances, but the past couple of years, the Nuggets have been overmatched against the truly elite teams.
It's a "NO EXCUSE" year. - Christian Braun ⛔️
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) October 6, 2025
"Everything we've asked for, everything everybody in this locker room has wanted, we have." pic.twitter.com/dNrJFoBoyS
They lacked reliable young players, they lacked veteran depth pieces, the coaches and front office had gotten stale, and if not for the all-around brilliance of Nikola Jokic, many warts and weaknesses would have been exposed at a far greater level.
But Jokic was able to mask a lot of it, and he had them drastically overachieving, reaching a second-round Game 7 in back-to-back years despite nobody else sniffing an All-Star appearance or an All-Defense team, and one of the worst benches in the league.
Nuggets have fixed every weakness this offseason
Now, all of those very legitimate excuses are gone. They overhauled the front office and coaching staff, bolstered the bench with veterans, and made a trade to upgrade the already-elite starting lineup.
On paper, they may now be the deepest team in the NBA, and could legitimately go 12-deep on any given night. The added depth should allow the stars to stay fresher and be more efficient, so guys like Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon could be in line for career seasons.
Plus, the pressure is off the young players, and they can comfortably develop into bigger roles. We could see major leaps from Christian Braun and Peyton Watson, while Jalen Pickett, Julian Strawther, and DaRon Holmes all have a real chance to be difference-makers.
Whether it all comes together or not, we’ll have to see. There are always injuries and other fluky things that happen during a long NBA season, but if the Nuggets don’t win it all this season, they’ll have nobody to blame but themselves. The pieces are in place, the vibes are right, and everything is falling into place for this team to go on a magical run.