Starting Five
27 Jamal Murray
Guard | 26 | 6-foot-4 | 215 pounds
Consider what the Nuggets point guard accomplished in the playoffs after a season of re-acclimating post-ACL injury — 26.1 points, 7.1 assists, 39.6% 3-point shooting — then imagine what he can do after a fully healthy summer. Murray’s presence elevates the Nuggets from the team with the best player in the NBA to the team with the best two-man game in the league. And that’s no small title belt, seeing as rival contenders like Milwaukee are attempting to ascend to Denver’s level by assembling its own superstar tandems.
5 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Guard | 30 | 6-5 | 204
“Two-time! Two-time!” the Nuggets chanted in the locker room as they sprayed their eldest starter with champagne back in June. One of the most important acquisitions on last season’s championship team, Caldwell-Pope represents the franchise’s new goal: He’s the only player on the roster with multiple rings. The Nuggets know what they’re getting in KCP, a 3-and-D guard who meshes smoothly with the team’s core.
1 Michael Porter Jr.
Forward | 25 | 6-10 | 218
Despite much ado about a Calvin Booth quote published by The Ringer, which Booth addressed as “unfair,” Porter’s greatest contribution in the NBA Finals was not the reason he has a max contract (his undeniable 3-point stroke). Instead it was his defensive effort and rebounding tenacity. If he can consistently use his length to make contributions beyond getting shots over even the most potent of close-outs, then his ceiling must be re-contextualized. Otherwise, Porter at minimum remains one of the deadliest perimeter shooters in the game, if he can stay healthy.
50 Aaron Gordon
Forward | 28 | 6-8 | 235
Gordon’s floor spacing along the baseline is the most underrated aspect of what makes Denver’s offense sing. He understands when to rotate out, when to set a screen and when to slip behind the bottom level of the defense to finish a lob. Nobody else on the roster can replicate his knack for turning the four into a weapon in a Nikola Jokic offense, and few players are as cohesive with Jokic as he is. Add in Gordon’s forceful on-ball offense and two-way prowess, and the Nuggets continue to have a player vital to title hopes.
15 Nikola Jokic
Center | 28 | 6-11 | 284
If he cared about the hardware, Jokic would probably be a shoo-in for his third MVP. But the NBA community learned last season that the Serbian center is not interested in the vitriol that tends to accompany debates of the player hierarchy variety. Still, Jokic is so good — both as an individual scorer and at boosting his teammates — that he could easily win another this season in spite of his own indifference. He needs strong support from Denver’s backup bigs after a short offseason and the historic playoff run that preceded it, but when he’s on the floor, as always, enjoy the show.
Reserves
0 Christian Braun
Guard | 22 | 6-6 | 220
This time last year, Braun wasn’t expected to be a critical component of the rotation. But by the playoffs, the rookie was one of Michael Malone’s most trusted bench players, well on his way to becoming a fan favorite with his enthusiastic defensive presence on the league’s biggest stage. Now Braun is the only sure thing on Denver’s bench, a sophomore sixth man who may end up with the ball in his hands more often as he attempts to fill the sizable shoes of another Br(ow)n.
7 Reggie Jackson
Guard | 33 | 6-2 | 208
When the Nuggets aren’t staggering Murray’s minutes between the first and second units, Big Government will start the season as the most trusted backup point guard option. A mid-season pickup from the Clippers, Jackson wasn’t part of Denver’s playoff rotation but has the offensive capability to change that this year with a shallower bench. Remember, he averaged 16.8 PPG for the Los Angeles Clippers just two years ago.
24 Jalen Pickett
Guard | 33 | 6-2 | 208
Booty ball is coming to the Front Range. The No. 32 pick in this summer’s draft, Pickett has maintained this preseason that his unorthodox style of back-to-the-basket point guard play can fit in the Nuggets’ system. Given proper time to develop in the G League, Booth is hopeful the fellow Penn State alum can become a reliable fixture on its backcourt depth chart.
9 Justin Holiday
Guard | 34 | 6-6 | 180
Malone believes Holiday can be this year’s version of Jeff Green: a wise, outspoken, good-vibes veteran who’s hunting for his first title, plus a tangible contributor off the bench. He’s not great at any one thing, but he’s serviceable in a lot of areas: cutting, on-ball defense, 3-point shooting (36.3% career). The Nuggets will try to get him looks in the corner. Unlike Green, who almost played a hybrid four/five last postseason, Holiday is a lankier wing who could fit at the two as cleanly as the three. Denver is his 10th team. His ideal scenario? Competing against his brother Jrue in the NBA Finals.
3 Julian Strawther
Guard | 21 | 6-7 | 205
The revelation of this preseason. Strawther launched himself into the competition for bench minutes by forcing opponents to pay attention to his floor spacing and defend him aggressively on screens. If they don’t, it usually costs them three points. Seven months after Strawther’s Ball Arena debut, when he helped lead Gonzaga to two NCAA Tournament wins, the late first-round pick hopes to prove he shouldn’t have been overlooked by so many teams.
8 Peyton Watson
Forward | 21 | 6-7 | 200
Watson has the defensive credentials to make a leap in his second pro season. But can he adapt his offensive game to the needs of the four, which Denver is asking him to play more often? There’s not as much passing and cutting as Watson is used to at the three. The Nuggets are bullish about the 2022 30th overall pick, but his finishing also remains a work in progress.
4 Hunter Tyson
Forward | 23 | 6-8 | 215
Another rookie sharpshooter whom the Nuggets could use strictly on the wing or as a stretch four. Tyson’s preseason didn’t stand out as much as his Summer League performance, but the second-round pick is one to monitor as part of Calvin Booth’s larger draft-and-develop project, even if he needs some time in the G League.
22 Zeke Nnaji
Center | 22 | 6-9 | 240
A small-ball backup center who can switch one through five, Nnaji could be staring at a breakout fourth season if he can stay healthy. The opportunities are bountiful behind Jokic. But Nnaji’s breakout potential was the narrative last preseason, too. He needs to grow more comfortable using his size and physicality as an offensive player, and his defensive rebounding needs improving. Nnaji believes his shooting percentage, which declined dramatically last season after he tweaked his form, is about to correct itself.
6 DeAndre Jordan
Center | 35 | 6-11 | 265
Paid for his leadership as much as his on-court contributions, Jordan re-signed with Denver for one year while the team’s other veteran free agents moved on, including his friend Jeff Green. “It’s kind of hard to want to go somewhere else when you win a title with a group of guys like this,” Jordan said, adding with a smirk: “So I don’t know what Jeff was thinking.” Jordan is a bulkier alternative to Nnaji who can match up with more traditional centers.
21 Collin Gillespie (two-way deal)
Guard | 24 | 6-1 | 195
The former Villanova standout has had a rough go with injuries. After an MCL tear in college, he fractured his leg last summer and slowly worked his way back again, just for the opportunity to see through a two-way contract with the Nuggets. Now Gillespie has an NCAA championship and an NBA title, mirroring Braun. The next step for the point guard is playing in a real NBA game.
11 Braxton Key (two-way deal)
Forward | 26 | 6-8 | 225
Key averaged 13.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and shot 40.2% from beyond the arc last season for the G League champion Delaware Blue Coats, making him a marquee player at that level who can elevate the Grand Rapids Gold from the bottom of the standings this season when he’s not in Denver. Although after a strong preseason at both ends of the floor, Key has an opportunity to stick in the NBA.
34 Jay Huff
Center | 26 | 7-1 | 240
The reigning G League defensive player of the year, Huff averaged 3.1 blocks per game to lead the league. He’s a helpful addition to the Nuggets’ organizational depth when it comes to rim protection.
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