SUMMARY
- The Denver Nuggets are not expected by many to repeat as NBA champions.
- The team has a weak bench and made no changes this trade deadline.
Should the Denver Nuggets be favored to win the NBA championship once again this season? The majority of NBA fans should be able to recall that the Nuggets are the current reigning defending NBA champions. Led by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, the team managed to win the first-ever title in franchise history after defeating the Miami Heat in the 2023 NBA Finals.
Although the defending champions always deserve a fair share of respect, it is quite rare for teams to win titles consecutively in NBA history. While the Nuggets’ chances of repeating their accomplishments from last year should not be dismissed, fans who are eager for other teams to win must certainly be interested in hearing about reasons that Denver may not win the chip this time.
The Denver Nuggets’ lack of roster depth could cost them
It would be unfair to claim that the Nuggets do not have what it takes to win an NBA championship. After all, the team managed to do just that last season and is doing quite well so far this season. It currently holds a record of 45 wins and 20 losses. Since that places them second in a competitive Western Conference, there is no denying that they are positioned well to make a deep postseason push once again.
Injuries could hamper a deep postseason run for the Nuggets
No ordinary team can make it through 3 playoff series’ and an NBA Finals. Therefore, the Nuggets shouldn’t be dismissed since they accomplished just that. However, there is also no denying that variables such as injuries and matchups play a pivotal role in deciding which team wins. Despite the fact that the Nuggets were healthy last season, the team has dealt with injuries to main members on their roster such as Jamal Murray in the past.
In the event that Murray, Jokic, or any other starter on the Denver Nuggets ends up sustaining a serious injury, their chances of repeating as NBA champions decline drastically. The team was quite fortunate to get through last postseason healthy but injuries could undoubtedly change their situation this season.Denver has made no upgrades to their roster this season
In order to get marginally better and contend for an NBA title, several teams made significant changes to their rosters before the NBA trade deadline. Since Denver wanted to retain their main roster and keep their momentum and chemistry going, the Nuggets did not make any upgrades or improvements to their roster.
While it wouldn’t be fair to claim they should have made a big trade, even a small move could have helped them improve the quality and production from their bench. Due to all of these reasons, it is quite possible that the Denver Nuggets get eliminated this year and fail to win another NBA title. However, fans shouldn’t dismiss them and wait for the season to end before forming concrete conclusions.