5 Reasons To Be Excited About the Denver Nuggets in 2024-25

The basketball world was stunned when the Denver Nuggets were eliminated in the second round of last year’s NBA Playoffs.

After the Nuggets won three straight against the Minnesota Timberwolves to take a 3-2 series lead, many thought the momentum was firmly in their favor. Even after losing Game 6 by a blowout, most would still have thought the Nuggets were in prime position to win Game 7 in Denver.

That is not what happened. The Timberwolves overcame a deficit in the series finale to win the game 98-90, eliminating the defending champions.

The Nuggets’ offseason was a difficult one. They lost a key member of their team when Kentavious Caldwell-Pope opted to leave Denver in favor of joining the Orlando Magic on a three-year, $66 million deal.

The struggles continued thereafter. The Nuggets made a selection that a lot of people loved when they picked up big man DaRon Holmes II in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Unfortunately for all parties involved, Holmes’ arrival in the NBA will be delayed. He suffered an achilles injury in the team’s opening game of the 2025 Summer League in Vegas.

Holmes underwent surgery in July to address the matter. There is currently no timetable for his return to the basketball court.

Despite being dealt a rough hand in some regards, the offseason has not been all bad for the Nuggets. There should be a handful of reasons to be optimistic about the team’s chances of competing for an NBA championship once more in the 2024-25 season.

5 Adding Some Frontcourt Depth With Dario Šarić

Saric should offer some lineup versatility for the Nuggets

Anyone who followed the Nuggets last season can tell you what their biggest issue was. They lacked some serious depth off the bench. It was arguably the biggest reason they were upset by the Timberwolves in their second round series.

Adding Dario Saric was a solid pickup that should be able to help their depth in the frontcourt. Šarić is not a world beater, but he should offer some upside in terms of his fit with the Nuggets.

Šarić had a solid season for the Golden State Warriors in 2023-24. His scoring punch and presence on the glass can still be relied upon coming off the bench. Šarić averaged 16.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game when adjusting his numbers for the per 36.

The nice thing about Šarić will be the options in which the Nuggets can deploy him. He should be able to play the power forward or center spot for Denver, allowing them some creativity with how they use him.

Šarić can be featured as a spot-up option in lineups beside Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets can likely also get away with using him as the primary backup for Jokić at the center position.

Securing Šarić on a two-year, $10.6 million deal could prove to be a very underrated pickup for the Nuggets.

4 Christian Braun’s Potential Breakout Season

Braun is slated for his best year as a pro

The departure of Caldwell-Pope left a vacancy in the starting lineup that needs to be filled by the Nuggets. Christian Braun should have the inside track to secure that spot.

Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth hinted at that being the case earlier this offseason, before Caldwell-Pope officially made his decision to leave Denver.

Braun has posted some strong per 36 minutes over the past couple of years with the Nuggets. His third season should feature an expanded role that gives him an opportunity for a breakout season.

Braun should be poised to become a double-digit scorer for the first time in his career. Getting regular minutes in the starting lineup will leave him with plenty of easy scoring opportunities while his teammates are pulling defensive attention away from him.

Playing next to one of the best passers in basketball, in Jokić, certainly does not hurt his cause either. The Nuggets superstar has certainly done more with far less talented players than Braun.

Opportunity will certainly not be lacking for Braun in 2024-25. If he capitalizes on it, he could prove to be an excellent dark horse candidate for the Most Improved Player award.

3 Adding Backcourt Depth With Russell Westbrook

Westbrook should provide a major boost to the second unit

A Los Angeles team trading Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz has become somewhat of a regular occurrence in the last couple of years. The Jazz buying him out has also been a part of that tradition.

That should not be indicative of Westbrook’s ability to perform at this stage of his career. He had a strong season coming off the bench for the L.A. Clippers in 2023-24, after moving to the second unit to accommodate James Harden.

That statement is only true if one is to give him a pass for his brutal first round series against the Dallas Mavericks. Westbrook averaged 6.3 points per game at 26.0 percent from the field and 23.5 percent from beyond the arc. That series was not his finest moment.

However, he should have an opportunity to turn things around with the Nuggets. Whatever opinion one may hold of Westbrook, it is undeniable that he plays with relentless energy and effort every minute of every game.

That should lend itself well to a Nuggets team that desperately needs that kind of spark coming from their second unit. The opportunity to play some pick-and-roll sets with Jokić should be an excellent way for Westbrook to have a very productive season in Denver.

No one should be surprised if there is some serious buzz around him winning Sixth Man of the Year before the end of the 2024-25 season.

2 The Championship Core Remains Intact

The Nuggets still have the formula that won them the championship in 2023

Losing Caldwell-Pope was a tough blow. No one is going to deny that. However, the Nuggets still have the rest of their championship-winning starting lineup together from the 2023 run.

Jokić is still being flanked by Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr.in 2024-25. That four-man combination posted some tremendous statistics in the time they shared the court last season.

For the most part, the core is locked up too. Gordon has the earliest upcoming contract decision, with his current deal set to expire in 2025. Porter is signed until 2026 and Jokić is under contract until 2027.

Murray certainly will not be going anywhere in the near future after signing a new extension recently.

The Nuggets are slated to remain competitive as long as the core remains intact. This is especially true when considering who leads that core.

1 The Best Player In The World

As long as Jokić is on the court, the Nuggets are a threat

Nuggets fans have the luxury of knowing that any time they tune in to watch their favorite team play, they get to watch the best player in the world. As long as Jokić is in his prime and wearing a Nuggets jersey, Denver will always be a competitive team.

Jokić has won the MVP in three of the last four seasons. He is arguably the best floor raiser in the entire NBA. That argument would be a very quick one (in his favor).

The world has seen what Jokić can do when he is at his best. His run in the 2023 playoffs can be described as inevitable, unstoppable, and whatever other similar superlatives one can attribute towards it.

Jokić’s presence can be felt throughout every slide of this article. As far as reasons for excitement and reasons for optimism go, the Serbian superstar is tough to rival.

Stats are courtesy of Basketball Reference and NBA.com.