8/16/2023 0 Comments Denver nuggets record 2019![]() ![]() Jokić, Murray, and Porter are all healthy and balling ![]() Smart money should go on the Nuggets in any matchup. Though these teams all present a challenge, and though any of them can beat the Nuggets in a seven-game series, Denver has better depth, shooting, and coaching than any of them. That’s not to mention the surging Los Angeles Clippers and the revitalized Sacramento Kings. In their place have come the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans, two teams with minimal playoff experience and various roster issues. The Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks, both in last year’s Western Conference Finals, have taken huge steps back but still remain dangerous competitors. And that mindset is going to be important, because the West has never been wider. But despite his historic individual accomplishments, he seems dialed in on team goals this season, with a Finals appearance in mind. Jokić at 27 years old has already accomplished individually what few in NBA have. Efficiency.īut a coach can’t win without stars, and the Nuggets have theirs in place. Nikola Jokic is the 3rd player in NBA history to record a triple-double in 28 minutes or less. ![]() That contract extension he signed in March looks like the right move for both parties. Furthermore, Malone has notched four years of playoff experience under his belt and has gotten to know what it feels like to lose in the playoffs, testing his and his team’s mettle under playoff pressure. His integrating Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, while building an offense through his superstar center, has also succeeded despite it usually not working outside of Philadelphia. The Nuggets have stepped up in a crowded WestĪs mentioned in our midseason awards feature, head coach Micheal Malone should win Coach of the Year for the adjustments he’s made through injuries. finally healthy enough, this year should be the year they break through to the Finals. They are a powerhouse thanks to back-to-back MVP Jokić, and with stars Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. ![]() In an otherwise evenly-matched Western Conference, the Nuggets stand firmly in the top spot and number one in overall net and offensive ratings. But despite Jokić being named MVP twice since then, the Nuggets haven’t advanced past the conference finals in his tenure. While the move didn’t lead to a title, the team did use the primary draft piece from that trade – the pick that became Collin Sexton – to help facilitate the Donovan Mitchell deal last offseason.Īfter seeing how the 2023 NBA Finals turned out, the Nuggets have to be happy that they stuck to their guns and allowed Murray to blossom in Denver.Do you remember Nicola Jokić’s first playoff appearance? It wasn’t that long ago: A 2019 first-round seven-game series win against the San Antonio Spurs, followed by a second-round loss to the Portland Trailblazers. The Cavs opted for the Boston deal in an attempt to make another title run with LeBron James. While Irving may have been a great addition back in 2017 had Denver pulled the trigger, the team clearly felt that it could build a title contender around Murray and now two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. After making the Western Conference Finals with Murray in the 2019-20 season, the Nuggets went all the way this past season, beating the Miami Heat in the Finals in five games. In the playoffs in the 2022-23 season, Murray averaged 26.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from 3-point range. That injury cost Murray the entire 2021-22 campaign. The rise of the Nuggets in the 2022-23 season was largely in part because Murray was able to return to the lineup from a torn ACL that he suffered at the end of the 2020-21 season. The Nuggets had taken Murray with the No. Murray had just finished up his rookie season in the 2017 offseason, so it makes sense that the team wasn’t ready to give up on a young, cheap asset for Irving. “Among those players was Kyrie Irving after he requested a trade from the Cavaliers in the summer of 2017, sources have said. “ Malone has said recently that Connelly approached him around that time indicating they could possibly trade Murray for a certain marquee veteran or veterans. “If they were ever going to entertain trading Murray - and they never really did - it would have been in 2017 or 2018,” ESPN’s Zach Lowe wrote. The Denver Nuggets reportedly were “adamantly” against trading guard Jamal Murray for Kyrie Irving back in 2017, even though the Cleveland Cavaliers were interested in such a deal.Ĭleveland eventually dealt the disgruntled Irving to the Boston Celtics, and the Nuggets’ patience paid off several seasons later, as Murray was an integral part in the team’s NBA Finals victory in the 2022-23 season. ![]()
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