Especially out of all of these young teams. If they don't do nothing stupid they can be contending on the big stage sooner rather than later.

While I'm not as big on Jokic as some other folks, he can play. He's just too slow footed to leave out there when teams go small.

Overpaying for Milsap was questionable. He's pretty much washed. But he does have a solid veteran presence.

They have a solid backcourt. Murray is on the cusp at 21 years old.

And I was dead wrong about Gary Harris pre-draft. He's turned into a solid NBA ballplayer. And an above average 2 guard.

I think Barton is more of a spark off the bench dude.

Like Lyles too as a versatile young forward that can shoot, handle and rebound.

Juan Hernangomez has size, youth, and can shoot.

Malik Beasley is alright.

But then you have Michael Porter. He's the wildcard. If he can stay healthy at 6'10 and the way he plays they'll become serious.

And a lowkey wildcard junior who might be less likely to stay healthy is Jarred Vanderbilt. With the way the league is going, a 6'9 forward who can handle, pass, defend, and be a vacuum on the glass while guarding 4 or 5 positions... he's definitely a piece if he can stay on the court.

We're obvi better than last year which we should be. But losing to a pretty iffy Lakers squad and barely squeaking by a NOP (sans AD) and the Bulls means there's a lot of work left to do. Garris and particularly Murray have had pretty uninspiring starts and need to shoot a lot better.

Disagree bigtime on Millsap. You overpay in free agency, and we was no exception, but his defense alone is worth tons. Our team defense is so much better this year and him being on the court to lead the charge is no coincidence.

Jokic is a superstar. It's that simple.

Ultimately I see us as a 4th/5th seed type team this year.

It's weird that Murray shoots it poorly to begin every season.

Thought he'd be a bench guy at best.

Really impressed with the team defense so far. It will be interesting when Barton and Thomas are healthy what they do rotation wise. I agree i thought Barton should play with the reserves. I don't think they should play Porter this year but we will see where they are come Dec/Jan. If they can keep up the D and minimize turnovers they can compete with anyone. Starting off with wins against the Dubs and clippers is nice. They definitely seemed to play down the Chicago, NOLA. They played down to Cleveland for the 1st quarter as well.

Also the new uniforms are dope:

https://nba.nbcsports.com/2018/11/02/nuggets-release-new-retro-inspired-rainbow-jerseys-photos/

Let them get acclimated. There's no need to rush either.

#4 at the lowest (assuming Rockets get their shit together, which they probably will).

They're young and on the come up. They're not ready, but they'll be ready eventually.

That's why I think if they stay steady and wait the Warriors out 2 or 3 years by not trying to accelerate the process and adding some Max contract guy, they can be right there challenging them in the playoffs.

he's actually the reason they're winning.

nuggs are the #3 defense right now. millsap's their best defensive player.

their defensive numbers were actually great last year when he was on the floor. it's just that he missed a ton of games.

Dude had more assists in the 4th than the Jazz had baskets, lol. Incidentally two centers have ever done that in a game: him and Wilt.

Concerns about aggressiveness and spacing remain (Jamal and Jokic were both getting passive to the point of passing up shots they had and they really NEED to take, which bodes poorly), but this was a good one to get.

And Plumdogg! Dude turned the tide. He hasn't been mentioned yet and has really grown into his role as the backup C. He's a reliably plus player when he's on the floor these days, which makes me grind my teeth less when thinking about the trade that brought him here and/or the contract we signed him to.

when he gets going they have great games.

missing 3 starters and still controlling the game almost all the way through.

Jokic just continues to be able to do more and more and Torrey Craig is a player. Good squad. Can't wait for my guy Porter Jr. to get out there.

And I love it.

Watching the other night and seeing IT3 and Porter in street clothes

Yeah, this roster is setup great if those 2 get on the floor.

granted they were short handed but so was Denver. Just keep getting these W's while they get healthy and this team is gonna be one tough out come playoff time.

because...

I think they might sustain this. and look @ who's not playing due to injury.

:) :) :)
https://twitter.com/MPJr/status/1075565022158323712

If they can keep up winning then let Barton and Harris sit at least another 2 weeks. Milsap should be about a month. Porter i have heard is close but with that type of injury i would be super cautious. (i still am not sure if i would like them to play Porter this year). Let guys like Beasley, Craig and Morris earn their stripes a little bit and come playoff time they would have one of the deepest teams in the league.

If they win that they would hold the head to head tie breaker. Also was good to get the warriors loss tonight. Leaves them a game and a half back and they play on March 8th and Apr 2nd. If they get 1 of those two they would split the season series and currently Denver has two less losses in the division. Great to see IT, Barton and Harris all back. I think Denver will have more of a sense of urgency down the stretch as GS doesn't seem to prioritize home court over rest. Once this team adds Porter Jr next year they are going to be supremely special. This team is exciting as hell and should be in the mix for the next 2-3 years at least unless something catastrophic were to happen.

Utah without Rubio as well.

Gotta get Gary back up to speed. And realize I.T. should play sparingly st best.

I am happy with the way they fought back though. Utah was killing them from behind the arc. Ingles is really nice. I love watching him play. Mitchell was off most of the first half. No reason they shoulda lost.

Great season so far!

Not done yet though... keep grinding.

This team missed out on the playoffs by the narrowest of margins TWO YEARS IN A ROW!

Came back with essentially the same exact team and sat with the upper echelon of the Western Conference.

And this is just the beginning.

It's not gonna be pretty, particularly if he leaves GSW. My hopes are a swift, steep decline into a post-Boston-Kendrick-Perkins-esque level of uselessness on the court whilst desperately spewing a bunch of hot garbage about his glorified role player good old days every single chance he gets.

JUST DON'T LET IT BE HERE.

you and I both are waiting for that ending. I'm gonna have the popcorn ready.

Milsap fills a similar role with way less drama. Next year MPJ will play some 4 and Plumdawg plays some 4 sometimes.

Gary Harris still does not look 100% and as much as i liked the IT signing at first Beasley and Morris have earned their spot and play better with the 2nd unit. Hopefully they will get the 1 but it would be hard to see them falling out of the 2. Great season a group of solid guys around two budding stars has been really fun to watch. Props to Malone on the job he has done and i thought he shoulda been canned last year.

Jokic showed the fuck out damn near averaging a triple double in his first series. Murray had an up and down series but came throught when it matters. Harris is starting to look like he has his form back. Milsap isn't going to light up the sheet but he will be there when we need him and always hustle. Barton back on the bench is the right play. I think we have a bit of an easier time with Portland, but Dame and McCollum seem to be on some fuck the world shit. Jokic should dominate Kanter and i expect close to a triple double average again. Let's keep it up Nuggs.

If they bring the same composure to the next series, they'll get the job done.

i know its the West but they have to win 2 serious series just to get to the conf finals

A veteran team with the greatest coach of the modern era going up against the greenest high seed in some time? I mean, that is a readymade upset special right there (and indeed nearly proved as much).

I won't look past Portland at all... but of the three teams we could be playing in round 2, they are very clearly the one we want. Jokic will feast again. Although our perimeter defense - the same one that was susceptible to making Derrick White look like prime Top 5 Tony and letting Derozan get whatever looks he wanted - going up against Dame and CJ is a little distressing to say the least.

no one has a matchup for Dame rn, but your relatively small backcourt will have an easier time with CJ i think

Little guards that shoot?

Nah.

Especially not with a healthy Gary.

I was reading a few weeks ago to that Denver allows like the 3rd or 4th most 3s a game but the lowest effective 3 point Percentage allowed which is crazy. I think we can contain McCollum but Dane is just playing angry right now. I think we win the series in 5 or 6.

3p% allowed seems to fall under the "things a defense doesnt actually control" column, while quantity of attempts is they only thing defenses CAN control

They should be playing Houston right now. Im not sure how their road could be easier as the #2 seed.

Houston had all year to be better than Portland

and id MUCH rather play the Jazz than Spurs

And by the logic of the rox had all year to be better, well, so did the spurs.

and after a 14-14 start they went 34-20

the jazz didnt really have that kind of adjustment to make

The rockets are better than the spurs. Yet denver can make the conf finals without facing them. They have an easier road than then#1 seed. They cant complain at all

and it doesnt apply

SAS was adjusting to hella change, Utah wasnt.

SAS and Utah have inverted seeds relative to their quality right today. i see no reason to think that about the Blazers and Rockets.

Shit is wide open.

Big points for the off-season:

1.) Jokic & Murray have to get in the best physical shape possible. Stronger and more endurance. I don't want to see any tired players. I also want to see Murray overpowering smaller guards.

2.) What to do with Millsap. I hope he comes back, but at a right price.

3.) Michael Porter Jr's development. Where will he be? And if he's what we think he can be, will Millsap take a lesser role.

4.) Malik Beasley needs to be a more reliable player.

5.) Jared Vanderbilt's development. He can be an excellent rebounder and defender.

esp with the Warriors on crutches, bc theyll be back

la even with AD wont be good enough
houston maybe (lol i cant even type that with a straight face)
LAC , if they get Kawhi
Portland meh (i still cant believe they pulled that off)

“windows” because things change so fast in the NBA.

But if Porter comes back next year and is anywhere close to the hype they will really be dangerous

Flexibility and youth.

Averaging 15 pts over the past 5 i think. If he gets going and the team plays with a sense of urgency more often the rest of the year gonna be fun.