The Denver Nuggets' championship ambition is resting squarely on the shoulders of their health. Their injury problems are well documented this season. First, Christian Braun went down. Next, it was Aaron Gordon, and then Cam Johnson. Even Nikola Jokic was unable to avoid the injury bug, missing 16 games due to a knee injury. The bug spread like the plague, eventually hitting every part of the roster, including the bench.
The only constant in the starting lineup this season has been Jamal Murray. However, towards the end of their 136-120 win in Chicago against the Bulls, Murray could be seen noticeably limping. But after the game, head coach David Adelman said about Murray, "He seemed confident that he was OK," per a tweet from Bennett Durando. The first-time All-Star gave us all a scare.
And that's been the sort of thing that has Nuggets fans on edge right now. No one's hitting the panic button, but we're a little concerned at how the bad luck has been progressing against the Nuggets this season. Braun went down in mid-November. Gordon is expected back in early to mid-March. Four months' time will have passed without the opening night starting lineup playing together. And the Nuggets still have the 5th-best record in the league.
But they're on the mend. Cam Johnson has finally returned, and 80% of the opening night starting lineup is back together. That's better than it's been in months.
We still don't even know how good this team can be
We really don't know how good the Nuggets can actually play because most of this team hasn't been on the floor together long enough to find out. Thankfully, the timeline for all injuries puts everyone back by about mid-March, just in time to gel together for the playoff push that will start in mid-April.
We've seen the development of Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones — it's been phenomenal. But of course, those are two of the three Nuggets currently sidelined, Gordon being the third. Thankfully, Julian Strawther has been playing some great basketball of late, and he had a brilliant second start of the season for the Nuggets vs. the Bulls, scoring 19 and adding 5 rebounds. He's going to be an integral part of the lineup over the next 4-6 weeks while the P-Wat, Jones, and Gordon trio work their way back.
The Nuggets have the best offense in the league, ranking first in points and offensive rating. They're averaging 120.4 points per game. They were averaging 125 points per game prior to the Joker going down in Miami at the end of December. What will they be averaging when the team is whole? Fun times are ahead for Nuggets fans.