3 Things that must happen for Nuggets to repeat as NBA champions
These three circumstances must be present for Denver to go back-to-back this season.
By Will Eudy
The NBA regular season has finally concluded for the 2023-24 season, and the Denver Nuggets know exactly what their road to repeating as champions looks like. In an ultra-competitive Western Conference, the Nuggets secured the second seed and will potentially have multiple favorable matchups on their way to what they hope is a second straight NBA Finals.
While there are a lot of talented teams in the West, Denver can rest in the fact that they still employ the best basketball player on the planet at the moment. Having Nikola Jokic on your team will allow you to get out of some tricky scenarios that other teams might falter in.
For the Nuggets to go back-to-back this year, a few specific things will need to happen. These are three of the most important circumstances that Denver needs to be present for them to repeat as champions.
1. Good injury luck throughout the playoffs
As we know, injury luck is always one of the main determining factors in who ends up holding the Larry O'Brien trophy at the end of the season. This year will be no different. The best team that can stay healthy the longest will emerge as champions come June.
Winning the first championship in franchise history last year involved a lot of positive injury luck on the Nuggets' part. Their main core of players went through the playoffs without any major injuries, and that consistency led to an incredible 16-4 postseason record, culminating in a title.
Denver is admittedly not the deepest team in the league, so their top six to seven players are all extremely vital to their championship efforts. If they can keep all their main guys healthy throughout April, May and June, it will go a long way toward the Nuggets being able to call themselves 2024 NBA champions.