Some Denver Nuggets fans watching the Western Conference Finals bout between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs might be wondering whether the Nuggets would have been able to keep up with either team. Let's be honest. They don't appear to have enough depth to match up with the West powerhouses.
The Thunder-Spurs series has been dead even so far. However, the series could have been 3-1 in the reigning champion's favor had it not given up a double-overtime loss in Game 1. The Spurs needed Victor Wembanyama's monster stat line of 41 points, 24 rebounds, and three blocks to steal that win.
Nuggets' nagging disadvantage
The story of the round has been how crazy deep Oklahoma City has proven to be. Imagine having two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the squad, while there are more than a handful of players who can score in double-digits on any given night. In the first three meetings, its reserves combined for an average of 61.0 points per game.
To be fair to the Spurs, they also have a pretty solid supporting cast around Wembanyama. The French superstar's teammates showed up in Game 4, helping the squad pull off its first convincing win of the series. It should be noted, though, that the Thunder's bench still outscored San Antonio's 34-30. But the No. 2 seed's defense held OKC to just 82 points, allowing the No. 2 seed to pull off the 21-point victory.
Looking at the Nuggets' roster, it's hard to imagine them outlasting the Thunder or Spurs in a seven-game series.
Sure, their Big 3 of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon remains as formidable as any trio in the league — as long as Murray rediscovers his playoff form and Gordon's health holds up. Outside those three, none of the players had shown enough consistency or had battled with injuries more often than the organization would like.
A slim pathway to improvement
It's easy to say that all the Nuggets have to do is just bolster their roster this offseason. However, they might not have the means to do so, given their lack of cap space to make a major move. Making matters more complicated is that they have to deal with Peyton Watson's restricted free agency, which could put them back into luxury tax hell.
Unless Denver wants to run it back with nearly the same personnel and hope for the best that internal development from key young players puts it in the same league as Oklahoma City and San Antonio, the front office could opt to take a gap year while sorting out its financial troubles. The problem with going through a mini-rebuild is that Joker is already 31, and his championship window is closing by the year.
Unfortunately, the Nuggets must be ready to do something drastic, as the Thunder and Spurs could have the Western Conference — and the entire league, for that matter — on a stranglehold for many more seasons.
Add us as a preferred source on Google