Remember last year when Nikola Jokić noted how teams winning in the playoffs had "longer benches" and deep rotations? Of course you do, because he said so after the Thunder eliminated the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of the semifinals. Jokić didn't say anything fans didn't already know, but it still felt like a message to the front office.
The new front office duo of Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace went to work over the offseason, from offloading Michael Porter Jr.'s contract to create the space to sign players like Tim Hardaway Jr., to trading for Jonas Valančiūnas. Just like that, the Nuggets had the bench that Jokić referred to at the end of the 2024-25 season. Little did they know how vital it would be.
There was a time this season when Denver was without four of its starters, with Jamal Murray as the only man standing. Christian Braun sprained his ankle, Aaron Gordon strained his hamstring, Cam Johnson suffered a bone bruise and hyperextended his right knee, and Jokić hyperextended his left knee. Minus Gordon, all of those players are still out.
Reading that, you'd assume that the Nuggets had slipped down the conference standings, but they're in third with a 29-15 record, even with Valančiūnas straining his calf in the game after Jokić got hurt (he will be back soon!). Denver's depth has helped keep the team alive.
The Nuggets' bench has kept the team from flailing amid injuries
Yes, it's Murray who has led the way, averaging a career-high 26 points and 7.4 assists per game in 40 contests, shooting 48.9% from the field and 44.9% from three (also career bests). Fans already knew what kind of player he can be, but watching him play this season has been extra special, and should result in his first All-Star nod.
Peyton Watson, whom the Nuggets acquired on 2022 draft night, is having quite the season himself. His price tag has skyrocketed after Denver didn't extend him before the season, so the top to-do on this summer's checklist is finding a way to pay up and keep him around.
In terms of the offseason additions, Hardaway is averaging 13.9 points on a career-high 40.1% shooting from three. Bruce Brown is averaging 7.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, not exactly playing the role fans thought he would after the summer's reunion, but he did have the game-winning shot against the Sixers a couple of weeks ago in one of the best wins of the season.
Last year's team wouldn't have been able to withstand the slew of injuries that the Nuggets have dealt with this season.
You can highlight a few different reasons for that, but one of the biggest ones is that the front office rounded out the roster. Tenzer and Wallace did so in hopes of giving Denver the "longer" bench it needed to win a title, especially after how the team has looked without key players. The odds of that happening are even higher than even the optimists thought.