The Nuggets currently have the fourth-best lineup in the NBA, but it’s not the unit you may think. Denver’s best lineup, and their only one that’s a top-five unit in the league, is their current starting lineup of Jamal Murray, Cam Johnson, Peyton Watson, Spencer Jones, and Nikola Jokic, a lineup that is +17.9 net rating.
It’s amazing that the team’s best lineup is playing even better than the regular starting lineup, which features Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon in place of Watson and Jones. That lineup has a +13.1 net rating, which is seventh-best in the league, but since AG and CB went out with injuries, the starting lineup has played even better.
I don’t think anyone is assuming Jones and Watson are suddenly better than Braun and Gordon, and I can’t imagine the Nuggets would consider changing the starting lineup when everyone is healthy.
But it does show that the Nuggets’ depth is much improved and they have more options, flexibility, and versatility than ever before. P-Wat is breaking out and proving that he belongs in an NBA rotation, while Jones is blowing through his ceiling and forcing the Nuggets’ hand, as he’s running out of eligibility on his two-way deal.
Nuggets having multiple elite lineups a game-changer
The fact that the Nuggets can have a lineup without Gordon and Braun playing this well is a pretty incredible development. Sure, Jokic and Murray are still involved, but this offers hope that the team can finally sustain success without their best players needing to be on the court.
It’s a problem that has plagued the team for ages, and looks to finally be trending in the right direction. It’s not like everything is fixed, and the non-Jokic minutes will almost certainly be a problem forever.
But still, this is very promising for the Nuggets, and shows that they have multiple bench players who can be plugged into the lineup in a pinch, without the team falling off a cliff. This has arguably been the biggest issue for Denver, and it seems like things are finally trending in the right direction.
The Nuggets’ new front office invested in depth over the summer, and it’s great to see it’s paying off. It’s helpful in the short term because it’s keeping the team afloat during the regular season with guys hurt, but hopefully, it’s going to pay dividends even more once the playoffs start with a deep rotation of reliable talent.