The Denver Nuggets had a phenomenal season in the NBA, reaching the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year. They finished as first seed in the Western Conference with a record of 53-29, their best regular season finish since 2019 with some huge results throughout. They beat the eventual 2nd seeds the Memphis Grizzlies twice with Nikola Jokic securing a triple double in two out of the three games. They also had wins over the 1st and 2nd seeded Eastern Conference teams the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics respectively. Their performances this season have been spectacular and has earnt them the title of favorites according to NBA championship odds.
Such success this season has raised the question of where this Nuggets team ranks among the all time greatest. Let’s take a look at some of the best and see how they compare to this current crop of players. For reference, we are only including post-merger teams so the ABA winning 1975-1976 team is not included here.
1984-1985
This was an excellent roster that unfortunately existed in the time of the LA Lakers dominance. Finishing the regular season with a record of 52-30, the finished 2nd in the Western Conference only bested by the Lakers. The roster was headlined by Alex English who was the scoring champion two seasons prior. He averaged a hair under 28 in this season and was supported by point guard Fat Lever, who improved from 4.6 assists per game the season prior to 7.5. They were the scoring team in the league, averaging 120.0 per game. They would make the finals but ultimately fall short to the Lakers. Whilst the 85’ Nuggets were a great team, they were severely lacking in the defensive department and the 117.6ppg they allowed was the second worst across the entire league. This is where today’s Denver team comes out on top after they allowed just 112.5 this regular season.
2008-2009
There is one clear and obvious standout in this Denver roster. Carmelo Anthony starred in a team that was mainly filled out with experienced players and veterans like Kenyon Martin and Chauncey Billups along with a young J.R. Smith. They reached the finals for the first time in nearly 25 years, though history would repeat itself as they would find themselves on the losing end at the hand of the Lakers once again. Carmelo averaged 22.8ppg in the regular season and 27.2 in the postseason to lead their scoring charts while Billups would buoy them with 17.9 and 20.6 respectively. While the Lakers would be runaway leaders of West, Denver would still finish as 2nd seeds in what was one of the most competitive seasons ever seen in the league (only six wins separated 2nd and 8th with 2nd, 3rd and 4th finishing with identical records).
2019-2020
This was arguably the greatest Nuggets team we have ever seen. In a season impacted heavily by the coronavirus, Denver were one of the 22 teams invited to the NBA bubble for the final eight games of the regular season and the playoffs. Finishing 3rd in the West, the Nuggets became the first ever team to overcome a 3-1 deficit twice in the playoffs against the Utah Jazz and LA Clippers eventually. However, their old nemesis the Lakers would yet again fell them, this time in the conference finals with a 4-1 regular season win. This was the year that Nikola Jokic would start becoming The Joker, averaging 19.9ppg, 9.7rpg and 7.0apg to lead the roster in each category. They were buoyed by great scorers in Jamal Murray and Will Barton who averaged 18.5 and 15.1 respectively. It is tough to separate and compare teams who played in different eras, but the 2019-2020 Nuggets belong in the conversation for the best.
2022-2023
This current crop of players may be able to take the moniker for themselves, however. Denver, led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, have been flirting with the NBA finals for the last 5 years however it seems there was always something missing. They consistently fell just short and despite having the best player in the league on their roster they just could not get their hands on their first ever NBA Championship. But the gaps within their game seem to have now been filled. Joker has averaged a near triple-double this season with 24.5ppg, 11.8rpg and 9.8ppg. Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon are all great shooters with Porter shooting with an elite .414 3PT%. They were the most accurate two-point shooters in the league this season with a 50.4FG% and the fourth most accurate 3-point shooters. This Nuggets team is scary good, and this could finally be the year we see the NBA Championship come to Denver.