Why the Denver Nuggets Should be Favorites of the West

The Denver Nuggets have come back to form. They are currently number two in the Western Conference. Their play has increased, and they are healthy again. Denver has won eight of their last ten games. Jamal Murray is healthy again as well. Nikola Jokic is playing very well. With this team fully healthy, it will prove to be problematic for the rest of the league. So, with more than a third of the season complete, why should the Denver Nuggets be favorites of the West?

When both players are healthy, they lead this team to success. The dynamic duo is playing as good as they did last year. With both being healthy, their scoring and assist numbers continue to rise. Jokic continues to be a three-way threat in scoring, assisting, and controlling the glass. Meanwhile, Murray continues to get back into his groove. His assist and scoring numbers has increased since returning from injury. Furthermore, both of them can run the plays as the facilitator or scorer in half court sets. These two, if leading them, will continue to provide good games for the Denver Nuggets.

This team plays together. Very rarely do the Denver Nuggets get blown out or have a horrible game. When one person struggles, the rest of the team steps up. On offense, players such as Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and others can pick up the scoring slack if the stars are struggling. In addition, even if the team isn’t shooting as great as it would like, they buckle down on defense and create stops. The team doesn’t have to run offense off one or two players. The bench unit always comes in and tries to play the same way as the first. This is a bonus. If the bench unit and secondaries play like the starters, it’s almost an unbeatable team. This team is a favorite of the West, especially if they can continue to build off of last season and this seasons early success.

When Denver has all of its pieces together, they’ve shown to still be among the best. This was the case last year. They haven’t lost a step. Denver continues to have great play out of their stars. Role players are doing a good job in playing their roles. The bench unit this year is as dominant as last year’s team. Ultimately, nothing seems to have changed. Unless a drastic change happens, or an injury occurs, this team should still be the favorites of the West. While Minnesota and Oklahoma City has risen in this early portion of the season, they don’t boast two superstar talents. This combined with their inexperience in the postseason could hurt them more.

Denver’s team is hitting its stride. Their dynamic duo of Murray and Jokic is one of the best among the league. The supporting cast continues to play well. Furthermore, they’re carrying the momentum from last year. These reasons, combined with postseason experience, shows why the Denver Nuggets should be the favorites of the West.