The Denver Nuggets have changed from the team that won an NBA title in 2023. While the majority of the core remains intact, the loss of key pieces in Kentavious Caldwell Pope and Bruce Brown will be felt by the Mile-High City. Brown’s absence was felt almost immediately last season, as the Nuggets failed to defend their title, and were eliminated in a hard-fought 7-game series against the Timberwolves.
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Former Wizards star, Gilbert Arenas spoke about the Nuggets on his podcast and shared his concerns regarding the lack of shooters that are surrounding Jokic.
“We bring in Westbrook, who is he passing to? Where’s my shooters at? A team like that needs shooters. For Jokic to be Jokic we don’t need people sitting in the lane,” Arenas said.
Although the Nuggets have tried to pivot and acquire different talent, they have fallen behind. The rest of the league continues to improve, whereas Denver has only lost important pieces, which Arenas speaks on.
“I am concerned a little bit… As champs from two years ago, they didn’t get better last year and they lost some key pieces this year,” Arenas said.
The Nuggets have suffered significant losses to their roster the past two seasons. In 2023, they lost Brown to the Indiana Pacers, and this offseason featured Caldwell-Pope signing with the Orlando Magic. This has resulted in a drop-off in shooters, which could have major consequences.
Caldwell-Pope has been an above-average three-point shooter for the past five seasons. This past year he shot 40.6 percent from three on 4.1 attempts per game.
Denver was unable to replace him, instead are banking on players such as Christian Braun and Julian Strawther to take a much-needed leap.
Although this could create problems for the Nuggets during the season, Arenas still believes they’ll be a top team in the Western Conference. Arenas said, “They probably said ‘We’re still top 3 in the West’ but are we better than some of those teams in the East at this moment of time? If they did play Philly in the Finals…”
The Nuggets proved they don’t need a big three to win a championship. However, due to their depleted talent over the years, Arenas compares the Sixers’ roster to Denver’s and suggests that the Nuggets don’t have enough to combat the disparity in skill.
Within their conference, the Thunder, Mavericks, and even the Timberwolves have gotten better this past offseason. Their path to another championship will be the most difficult it’s ever been in this upcoming season, and it would take a special season from their players for them to win a second chip.
