The Denver Nuggets have a lot going on as the team wraps up their training camp and prepares to start their preseason campaign on Friday in Abu Dhabi. It has been a long, tumultuous offseason for the team as many critics have come out of the woodwork. It seems like pundits have passed over the Nuggets for younger, sexier teams.
The hype is surrounding the up and coming teams with young stars like the Thunder, Mavericks, Timberwolves, and others. For the first time in years, it actually feels like the Nuggets are flying a bit under the radar, and that’s not a bad spot to be.
As the preseason begins, there are many huge storylines to follow; battles for minutes, fits of new players, health, and more. We won’t get answers to all of our questions during these preseason games, but they can certainly still be informative. Here is a look at the biggest things to watch for during the Nuggets’ preseason.
1.) The health and fitness of Jamal Murray
Perhaps the biggest x-factor of the entire season for the Nuggets will be the play of Murray. He wasn’t able to stay healthy down the stretch last season and struggled to fight through injuries in the playoffs.
He looked even worse in the Olympics for Team Canada, which led to some speculation as to whether the Nuggets should be wary of giving Murray a max contract extension. But ultimately, Murray got his deal and he’ll be a key, core member of the Nuggets for the foreseeable future.
The preseason games likely won’t tell us much about the regular season but this is one where it’s more of an eye-test thing. Just by watching the Nuggets play, we should get a good glimpse at Murray. Keep an eye on his movement on the court.
In the Olympics, he was having trouble keeping up with the pace and moving his feet to get in front of anyone. Watch to see if he has his burst back and if he can stay with people on defense and beat people off the dribble. If not, the Nuggets’ worry meter will skyrocket.