After being walloped in the 2023 playoffs, the Timberwolves' President of Basketball Operations, Tim Connelly, crafted a team to stop Nikola Jokic and company. Since that time, they have knocked the Nuggets out of the playoffs twice, only to be ousted later on by the Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and San Antonio Spurs, in series that were not particularly competitive.
While the Timberwolves are a team designed to beat the Denver Nuggets, they are not a team designed to win an NBA title.
This should serve as a lesson for the Nuggets. It is far better to focus on creating a complete team, rather than designing a team to beat one particular opponent.
So, how should the Nuggets move forward?
Focus on adaptability
The best teams in the NBA can adapt quickly and efficiently. To reach the finals this season, the Nuggets would have had to overcome the hard-nosed defense of Minnesota, the game-changing presence of Victor Webanyama, and the unstoppable free-throw machine that is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. To do that, a team has to be flexible and adaptable.
Over the last two seasons, the Nuggets have been more predictable than adaptable. Sticking with the same basic two-man game between Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, teams have adapted and made changes to stop the Nuggets' offense. Make no mistake, the two-man game works great in the regular season when teams have little time to prepare and little on the line; however, the playoffs are a different beast.
To continue improving, the Nuggets need to be adaptable.
Add defensive-minded athletes
Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels gave the Nuggets a roadmap for success going forward. During the playoffs, he said, "They don't got people that can defend the rim." He continued, "We're still more athletic than them and just got to be able to finish when we do."
There is a lot of truth to this. The Nuggets aren't as quick and nimble as they were a few years ago, and they lack defensive-minded players who can wreak havoc both inside and out. Adding some long, athletic, defensive players should be a priority. The Nuggets should look at adding elite defenders like Matisse Thybulle or Dorian Finney-Smith.
Given the Nuggets' current salary cap, adding elite defenders and keeping Peyton Watson may not be easy; however, waiving Jonas Valanciunas and making a trade that packages Cameron Johnson along with Zeke Nnaji would free up some cap space.
Don't chase!
The lesson for the Nuggets here is don't chase other teams.
Yes, they got beat by Minnesota.
Yes, Wemby and the Spurs may be the team to beat in the West.
No, the Nuggets should not make roster changes for the sole purpose of beating the T-Wolves or Spurs. The reason is that it is impossible to predict what next season will hold, or who will rise to the top. A single draft, trade, or injury can change the landscape of the NBA.
The Nuggets simply need to focus on creating the best version of themselves and trust they have the talent and ability to adapt to any team in the league.
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