Denver
Nuggets ROSTER
16-11 • 5th in WESTERN CONFERENCE
| NAME | POS | AGE | SALARY | HT | WT | COLLEGE | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #32 | AaronGordon | F | 29 | $22,841,455 | 6' 7" | 233 lbs | ARIZONA | |
| #0 | ChristianBraun | G | 23 | $3,089,640 | 6' 5" | 216 lbs | KANSAS | |
| #9 | DarioŠarić | F-C | 30 | $5,168,000 | 6' 9" | 224 lbs | N/A | |
DaRon HolmesHolmes | F | 22 | $3,065,640 | 6' 9" | 224 lbs | DAYTON | ||
| #6 | DeAndreJordan | C | 36 | $2,087,519 | 6' 10" | 264 lbs | TEXAS A&M | |
| #5 | HunterTyson | F | 24 | $1,891,857 | 6' 7" | 213 lbs | CLEMSON | |
| #24 | JalenPickett | G | 25 | $1,891,857 | 6' 3" | 207 lbs | SIENA COLLEGE | |
| #27 | JamalMurray | G | 27 | $36,016,200 | 6' 3" | 213 lbs | KENTUCKY | |
| #3 | JulianStrawther | G | 22 | $2,552,520 | 6' 6" | 202 lbs | GONZAGA | |
| #1 | MichaelPorter | F | 26 | $35,859,950 | 6' 9" | 216 lbs | MISSOURI | |
| #15 | NikolaJokić | C | 29 | $51,415,938 | 6' 10" | 282 lbs | N/A | |
| #8 | PeytonWatson | G | 22 | $2,413,560 | 6' 7" | 198 lbs | UCLA | |
| #13 | PJHall | C | 22 | N/A | 6' 7" | 244 lbs | CLEMSON | |
| #4 | RussellWestbrook | G | 36 | $3,303,771 | 6' 3" | 198 lbs | UCLA | |
| #21 | SpencerJones | F | 23 | N/A | 6' 6" | 224 lbs | STANFORD | |
| #23 | TreyAlexander | G | 21 | N/A | 6' 3" | 182 lbs | CREIGHTON | |
| #31 | VlatkoČančar | F | 27 | $2,087,519 | 6' 7" | 235 lbs | N/A | |
| #22 | ZekeNnaji | F-C | 23 | $8,888,889 | 6' 8" | 238 lbs | ARIZONA |
Current Nuggets Roster Status
The Denver Nuggets had a memorable run last season, which ultimately ended in the Western Conference Finals when they fell to eventual champs, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Nuggets enter the new season with the same core intact and will look to make another run at the title.
The Nuggets, however, lost a couple key guys in the offseason. Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee both signed with the Detroit Pistons as free agents. It is worth noting, though, that Denver was able to keep Paul Millsap aboard, despite several teams showing interest in the free agent.
Denver brought in a couple of new faces for the 2020-21 campaign, led by former Los Angeles Clipper JaMychal Green. The Nuggets also signed Facundo Campazzo from Spanish outfit Real Madrid, and there was a bit of a buzz surrounding the 29-year-old point guard prior to the start of the season.
Despite the lack of new recruits, though, the Nuggets are banking on a breakout year for third-year forward Michael Porter Jr. The 22-year-old showed some flashes of brilliance last season, and many believe that this is going to be his year.
Porter joins Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray as the centerpieces of the roster, with the trio representing one of the most promising young cores in the league today. Gary Harris and Millsap join the trifecta of Porter, Jokic, and Murray to form Denver's starting five.
denver nuggets Team Analysis
Offense
—The Denver Nuggets had one of best offenses in the NBA in 2019-20 with a 112.6 offensive rating, which ranked them 5th in the league. With Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray facilitating, they averaged 26.7 assists in the regular season (4th) and had the second-highest assists ratio (19.1). Combined, this duo averaged a little under 12 dimes per game, which helped the Nuggets spread the floor and gave them quite an efficient offense all season long.
Murray was the team's best scorer, averaging a career-best of 18.5 points per game while adding 4.8 assists. Jokic, for his part, had another monster season by averaging nearly a triple-double again with 19.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 7 assists per game. Without a clear third superstar in 2020-21, this duo is looking to do the same again this season as they enter their fifth season together in Denver.
The team is also expecting bigger production from third-year forward Michael Porter, Jr. who broke out last season. MPJ was one of the biggest revelations in the playoffs after averaging 11.4 points per game coming off the bench. With Porter getting the starting nod this year, expect him to help Jokic and Murray improve the Nuggets' offense.
Defense
—Defense is something that the Denver Nuggets clearly need to work on. Last season, the Nuggets saw themselves rank 16th in the league in terms of defensive rating (110.4), which gave them problems down the stretch. Inside the bubble, this was evidently the team's biggest hurdle as opponents tore their defense apart.
The biggest problem in the playoffs for Denver was their interior defense, as they allowed a whopping 45.8 points in the paint in the postseason. As good as Nikola Jokic is offensively, defense hasn't been his strong suit. The team's best blocker was Bol Bol, who only averaged 12.4 minutes in seven games.
To make matters worse for the Nuggets this season, they lost key members of their roster that held the fort for them last season defensively. Their second-leading blocker Jerami Grant (0.8 blocks per game), as well as Torrey Craig and Mason Plumlee (tied at third with 0.6 blocks per game each), have all gone elsewhere, leaving Denver's interior quite inferior. This season, they're hoping that a spike in minutes also results in better defensive production from both forwards Michael Porter, Jr. and PJ Dozier. The Nuggets are also hoping that Jokic's leadership translates defensively to help them ensure that the paint is protected.
In the backcourt, Gary Harris is the team's best defender. The 26-year old has been one of the best wing defenders in the league for the past few years and definitely has his work cut out for him in 2020-21.
Coaching
—Michael Malone is now entering his sixth year as the head coach of the Denver Nuggets. In his time in Denver, Malone has had the privilege of developing the talented duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. The chemistry between these three individuals has blossomed and translated to the team's success over the past few years. The Nuggets have finished in the top three in the Western Conference each of the last two seasons.
Malone has a .507 winning percentage as a head coach, including his two-year stint with the Sacramento Kings. He's also an even 16-16 in the playoffs. He's hoping to grab more W’s in 2020-21 as the Nuggets try to go over the hump and book a ticket to the NBA Finals. This season, Malone will also be shadowed by newly appointed associate head coach Wes Unseld, Jr., who is also entering his sixth year as a member of the Nuggets coaching staff. Unseld Jr.'s main task will be to oversee the team's defense.
Top denver nuggets Roster Questions
Who Did The Nuggets Recently Sign?
—The Denver Nuggets signed Facundo Campazzo from the Real Madrid Basketball Club in Spain. The 29-year old Argentine will be playing his first ever season in the NBA after quite a storied career in Spain and Argentina. The point guard is last year's Spanish League Finals MVP and a two-time Argentine League Finals MVP.
Who Are The Nuggets Targeting In Free Agency?
—The Denver Nuggets were trying to fill a couple of holes in their lineup this offseason. With the departure of Mason Plumlee and Jerami Grant, the frontcourt had a huge hole they tried to fill by adding JaMychal Green from the Los Angeles Clippers. They also re-signed PJ Dozier and Bol Bol to make sure their frontcourt is, at the very least, competitive behind Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap.
Their backcourt also needed an upgrade, which they tried to address on draft day by drafting 19-year old point guard RJ Hampton and proven international playmaker Facundo Campazzo. One would think that the Nuggets needed to sign a bigger name if they wanted to contend this year. In the offseason, they were linked to stars like Jrue Holiday, Bradley Beal, and James Harden to try and beef up their backcourt, but for now, they'll have to settle with the pieces they currently have, especially with Holiday traded to the Bucks and Harden going to the Nets.
Who Did The Nuggets Most Recently Trade For?
—Most recently, the Denver Nuggets were part of a four-team trade which included the Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans, and Oklahoma City Thunder. It was the blockbuster deal that sent Jrue Holiday to the Bucks while Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams were sent to New Orleans. Denver, for their part, sent a future first-rounder to OKC and gained draft rights to this year's 24th overall pick from the Bucks. With the pick, the Nuggets landed guard RJ Hampton fresh from a one-year pro stint in New Zealand.
What Is The Best Nuggets Roster Of All-Time?
—The best Denver Nuggets roster of all-time has to be the 2008-09 squad. Led by 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony, the ‘08-09 Nuggets were two games away from making it to their first NBA Finals appearance. Anthony was joined by other perennial members of the starting unit like Chauncey Billups, Nene, Dahntay Jones, and Kenyon Martin. Denver also had a resurging Allen Iverson in the line-up as well as a young JR Smith - the team's leading three-point shooter at that time.
The team finished with the second-best record in the West (54-28) and took care of business early in the postseason. They only dropped two games in the first two rounds against the New Orleans Hornets and Dallas Mavericks before running into the Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol-led Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. The Nuggets lost that series against the Lakers in six games with LA eventually winning the 2009 NBA Finals against the Orlando Magic.
What Is The Nuggets' Salary Cap?
—The Denver Nuggets' salary cap for the 2020-21 NBA season is currently at $127,368,106 (via Spotrac), which puts them around $17 million over the league's 2020-21 salary cap. They've locked up their two main superstars Nikola Jokic (until 2022-23) and Jamal Muray (until 2024-25) for the next few years, which means they have little to no room to simply add another superstar anytime soon without trading away members of their current payroll.
