Just when Nuggets fans were starting to get over the team’s painful Game 7 loss to the Thunder and move on to next season and a promising new roster, Isaiah Hartenstein went and reopened old wounds on the Podcast P Show. He told Paul George that “The only series we were kinda a little bit on the ropes was Denver.”
Nuggets fans already knew how close the series was, but this is now the second player from OKC to come out and talk about how the Nuggets were the only team that had them shook. Lu Dort recently went on NBA Today on ESPN and claimed that Denver had them “shaking”.
Now it’s Hartenstein offering a similar sentiment. He added that they were confident in every other series, but when it came to Jokic and the experience of the Nuggets, it had the Thunder thinking that even if they did everything right, it may not be enough.
Hartenstein’s comments should invigorate Nuggets fans
Although it’s painful to relive these memories, they should serve as good news and a reason for excitement. Just think, the Nuggets were playing with an exhausted Jokic, Aaron Gordon with one leg, Michael Porter Jr. with one arm, and virtually no bench to speak of. Even considering that, the Nuggets had OKC shaken and took them to seven games.
Now, the Nuggets have completely revamped their team. Swapping out MPJ for Cam Johnson may make the starting lineup even better and more versatile. The Nuggets also have true relief for Jokic and a real backup front line between Jonas Valanciunas and DaRon Holmes.
Beyond that, they have guys who can come off the bench and knock down shots in Tim Hardaway Jr. and Julian Strawther, they have a wing stopper in Peyton Watson, and of course, the do-it-all Swiss Army Knife that is Bruce Brown.
Nuggets have depth to match Thunder now
The tables have turned a bit, and Denver should actually be able to match the depth and versatility of the Thunder this season. This is a total game-changer as it should allow the Nuggets’ best players to be fresher and better rested, plus it offers the coaching staff more opportunities to play in different ways.
They can go guard-heavy, they can throw a bunch of shooting out there, they can go double-big, they can put out a shutdown defensive lineup, and with Jokic on board, they can make almost anything work. They are going to be incredibly dangerous this season and should be able to go toe-to-toe with the Thunder this time around.