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.
2.) The role of Russell Westbrook
One of the most fun things for Nuggets fans should be seeing what the future Hall-of-Famer Russell Westbrook looks like in a Nuggets uniform. Russ will go down as an all-time great and his legacy is already solidified, but the one thing missing is an NBA championship.
His MVP-caliber seasons are long behind him, but he clearly is still a great athlete and a skilled player. But can Russ adapt his game and change the things he needs to in order to help the team reach their potential?
The Nuggets badly need a backup point guard, another ballhandler, and a veteran leader in the second unit. In theory, Russ can solve all of those problems and fill every hole. But other teams have idealized this theory and it hasn’t come to fruition.
Part of it is on Russ and part is on other teams. The Nuggets have said all the right things and so has Russ, but this is how things have started with all his teams. The reality has been that he hasn’t been able to carve out his niche and find the perfect balance of doing enough but not too much.
Again, the preseason won’t tell us everything, but it will be very interesting early on just to see how Westbrook fits, what his role is, what lineups he’s used in, and what it all looks like. The experiment begins on Friday.
3.) Which young player(s) will step up
The other big x-factor for the Nuggets this year will be the play of the young players. The team has made a huge bet on their youth movement and Michael Malone is going to unleash the kids and let them play for better or worse.
With the loss of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the team needs a new starter for the first time in years. The most likely candidate to step into that role is Christian Braun, who has shown as much as any of the team’s prospects.
The Nuggets also have high hopes for Julian Strawther to provide three-point shooting and scoring this season and they need Peyton Watson to be a defensive menace and jolt of energy. If those players can all take a step up and become reliable contributors, the Nuggets could be a better team this season.
Any other player establishing themself and earning minutes this season would just be a massive bonus. It will be fascinating to watch right off the bat, how empowered these young players look and who tries to take on a big role and fill a void.
If these guys aren’t as far along as the team hopes, then the Nuggets may be in trouble. The core of the team is built to win now, if the young players aren’t ready to do that, then some moves will have to be made.