“The Denver Nuggets are the real deal!”: Stephen A. Smith says LeBron James and the Lakers will not get past Nikola Jokic and co without a healthy Anthony Davis

Stephen A. Smith emphatically praises the Denver Nuggets, calling them the real deal, and says the Lakers won’t beat them without a healthy AD. 

The Denver Nuggets had one of the more successful 2021 trade deadlines, as they were able to move off of an injury-prone Gary Harris to acquire Aaron Gordon from the Orlando Magic.

Though they did have to give up a great prospect in RJ Hampton, the Nuggets aren’t in the business of committing to multiple young players and their development. 

Calvin Booth and the Nuggets are all in on wanting to maximize Nikola Jokic’s prime to win a championship in the next few years. Besides, the Nuggets have two incredible young players in Bol Bol, and more importantly, Michael Porter Jr, the latter of which, has been stepping up to the plate as the Nuggets’ 3rd leading scorer. 

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Stephen A. Smith breaks what makes the Denver Nuggets lethal and why the rest of the West needs to look out for them. 

Stephen A says no one should want to face the Denver Nuggets in the Playoffs

Stephen A Smith takes to his show, Stephen A’s World to put the league on notice when it comes to the legitimacy of the Denver Nuggets’ championship aspirations. 

Everything Smith said makes sense. Nikola Jokic has been playing like an MVP frontrunner, putting 27, 12, and 8, all while leading the Nuggets to a 30-18 record in the loaded West. Jamal Murray, though he has been inconsistent, has come up big in the clutch against teams that are considered contenders. 

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Not to mention the fact that Aaron Gordon has already proven to be a great fit in the Nuggets offense and more importantly, defense. He has the ability to lock in on the opposing team’s best player, whether it be a guard, or a big. 

With the Los Angeles Lakers on the mend as LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Andre Drummond are all out for extended periods of time, the Denver Nuggets are in prime position to move up the standings. Denver is also set to have one of the easiest remaining schedules in the league as they face a bevy of sub .500 teams this month. 

It may even be possible that the Lakers fall into the play-in tournament and would have to face off against the Nuggets without home court advantage. If the Lakers aren’t healthy come Playoff time, they would most definitely have to fight tooth and nail to get out of the first round, especially if they face a team like the Nuggets.