2018-2019 Record                 Home Record               Road Record

        54-28                                     34-7                            20-21

2019-2020 Record                 Home Record               Road Record

         43-22                                     25-8                            18-14

Fun Facts for the season

-The Nuggets trail only the Sixers for the best home-court advantage in the NBA over the last three seasons. The top-3 home-court advantages over the last three campaigns: The Sixers (90-23), Nuggets (90-25) and Raptors (89-25).

-Despite trading away Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell to the Jazz in 2013 and 2017 respectively, the Nuggets can attribute their recent success to their ability to draft well, dating back to 2014: Gary Harris (2014-19th overall), Nikola Jokić (2014-41st overall), Jamal Murray (2016-7th overall), Monte Morris (2017-51st overall), Torrey Craig (2017-undrafted), Michael Porter (2018 14th overall).

-Nikola Jokić has had a track record of getting off to slow starts to begin the season and 2019-20 was no different. In his first five seasons in the league, Jokić has seen his value increase from December on except for the 2017-18 campaign when he maintained his first-round status throughout the year. Let’s compare his per-game value prior to December with his value from December on in those four other seasons:

-Michael Porter Jr.’s biggest obstacle has been his health as he missed his entire rookie campaign with a back injury after only being able to play three games in his freshman year in college. However, his talent is tantalizing as his per-36 numbers from his rookie campaign were 19.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.0 blocks and 2.3 three-pointers on .495 from the field and .767 from the charity stripe. When the Nuggets were without Jamal Murray (9 games missed), Paul Millsap (9 games missed) and Gary Harris (6 games missed) for a nine-game stretch, Porter saw 25.5 mpg and returned 4th/2nd round per-game value.

-After his rookie season, Harris saw his per-game fantasy production rise for three consecutive seasons and all three resulted in standard league value: 2015-16 (9th/8th), 2016-17 (6th/5th), 2017-18 (4th/3rd). However, over the last two seasons Harris has seen his value fall off a cliff as he finished outside the top-150 in 8/9-cat leagues: 2018-19 (14th/14th) and 2019-20 (14th/13th).

-It is clear that the two building blocks of the future for the Nuggets are 25-year-old Nikola Jokić and 23-year-old Jamal Murray. Over their first four seasons together in the league, the young duo have played 6,012 minutes together across 274 regular season games and have never had a net rating below 6.1.

For a closer look at how the season has gone, be sure to check out our Season So Far series. The Nuggets’ entry can be found right here.

Rosterable in 12-team 8/9-cat leagues (per-game value)

-Nikola Jokić (1st round/1st round)

-Jamal Murray (5th round/5th round)

-Will Barton (6th round/6th round)

-Paul Millsap (9th round/9th round)

Showed flashes of fantasy value in 12-team 8/9-cat leagues (per-game value)

-Jerami Grant (5th round/3rd round from Jan 8 through Feb 5)

-Michael Porter Jr. (4th round/2nd round from Jan 15 through Jan 31)

Rosterable in standard points leagues

(This is Yahoo’s standard scoring system, we’ll be using them as a reference for the rankings but obviously things will be different in your league if you use a custom scoring format or play on ESPN/CBS/Fantrax)

-Nikola Jokić (1st round)

-Will Barton (5th round)

-Jamal Murray (6th round)

-Paul Millsap (12th round)

Flashes of value in standard points leagues:

-N/A

Predicting standard league relevant players for 2020-21 season

-Nikola Jokić (all formats)

-Jamal Murray (all formats)

-Will Barton (all formats)

-Paul Millsap (8/9-cat)

Potential for standard league value for 2020-21 season

-Jerami Grant (8/9-cat)

-Gary Harris (8/9-cat)

-Michael Porter Jr. (all formats)

Upcoming Notable Free Agents

-Paul Millsap (unrestricted)

-Jerami Grant (player option of $9.35M in 2020-21)

-Mason Plumlee (unrestricted)

-Torrey Craig (restricted)

-Monte Morris (team option of $1.66M in 2020-21)

-Keita Bates-Diop (team option of $1.66M in 2020-21)

-Noah Vonleh (unrestricted)

Key Additions

-Keita Bates-Diop (acquired via trade)

Key Departures

-Malik Beasley (traded to Wolves)

-Juan Hernangómez (traded to Wolves)

Upcoming Draft Picks

-2020 first round pick (via Houston)

-2021 first round pick

-2022 first round pick

It might not have been the storybook season that fans had hoped for, but the Nuggets clearly moved from the territory of an over-performing young squad into that of a legitimate contender. With progression comes expectations, and the Nuggets having very little roster turnover between the 2018 and 2019 seasons set a high bar for the team.

Sitting at 43-22, the Nuggets are on track to meet or potentially even exceed their record from last year. However, momentum is not in their favor as they entered the NBA hiatus on a skid, with questions around their ability to make a deep playoff run beginning to swirl. There are legitimate questions around the rotation, particularly out on the wing with a stable of Will Barton, Torrey Craig and Michael Porter Jr. all fighting for minutes. After playing for Serbia in the FIBA World Cup, Nikola Jokic showed up to camp a bit overinflated, needed some time to play himself into shape, and has since looked reluctant at times to seize the mantle of franchise player. Jamal Murray has failed to take the next step after receiving a max contract, starting an uncomfortable discussion on the financial flexibility of the team moving forward.

These are all reasons to pump the brakes on what was a ton of optimism around the Nuggets heading into this season, but we also need to be careful not to dismiss a young team dealing with the expectation of a deep playoff run for the first time as overrated. There is still plenty of optimism warranted around a team that is still maturing, with the promise of additional growth from Murray, a breakout from Porter, and Jokic embracing the role of a franchise centerpiece.

Building Consistency

Fantasy managers are well aware of Nikola Jokic’s persistent early-season struggles. Whatever the reason, whether it is fitness-related or mental slumps, the unfortunate reality is that all too often, as goes Jokic, so go the Nuggets. A 43-22 record heading into the stretch is nothing to complain about for a team that just two years back was one win short of the eight seed. However, if you look beyond just the record itself there are some flashing red lights that don’t exactly inspire confidence that this team can go all the way with the Lakers and Clippers standing above them in the West.

Some of that can be pinned on injuries, as the Nuggets have only had their day-one starting lineup fully available for a handful of games this season as Jamal Murray, Paul Millsap and Gary Harris have all missed significant chunks of time, but that doesn’t tell the entire story.

Good teams win games that they should win, and all too often the Nuggets tend to lay an egg against bottom dweller opponents. Taking a look at the first ten games of the season, the Nuggets started off 7-3. Not too shabby! If we zoom in a bit closer though, those three losses came at the hands of the Mavericks, Pelicans and Hawks. Good teams also manage to win tough games on the road, a place where the Nuggets have really struggled this season. Their first big test on the road did not yield an inspiring outcome as they dropped four of five contests away to the Kings, Celtics, Nets and Sixers.

These two consistency struggles combined as the Nuggets lost six of their last ten games on the road and paused the season on a sour note after dropping three of their last five games to the Cavaliers, Warriors and Mavericks. The ability to focus in and win very winnable games has been a problem for the Nuggets for more than just this season. A string of losses to sub .500 teams in late March and April was largely to blame for the team slipping just below the eight seed a few years back, and a limp to finish line last season nearly cost them the two seed.

However things turn out this year, inconsistent and lackadaisical performances are pervasive issues that are most often observable in their star player. Perhaps this pause in the season will allow the team to show up fresh and focused, or perhaps it will only allow Jokic to show up out of shape for a crucial stretch of games. As noted above, as goes Jokic, so go the Nuggets in many cases. How he responds to this situation should play resume will likely tell us a lot about what to expect in the playoffs.

Jamal Murray’s Contract

In a massive sign of confidence, the Nuggets extended Jamal Murray on a five-year, $170 million max deal. Murray’s potential has never been in question, but his track record and inconsistency have led some to wonder if he will ever get over the hump and become a reliable number-two star next to Jokic. A huge playoff performance could drastically alter how his 2019-2020 season is viewed in retrospect, but evaluating what we have seen so far, it looks far more like a plateau than a breakout consistent with the expectations his new contract will bring.

On a per 36-minute basis, Murray is only averaging 0.5 more points and hitting 0.1 fewer threes per game on the exact same number of attempts from deep. His steal rate is up a bit and his assist rate (5.3 per 36) exactly mirrors last season. Those looking for significant progression or regression from Murray this season compared to last will find hardly any.

That said, perhaps the most notable change is Murray’s efficiency struggles from deep. A highly effective deep ball unlocks and entirely new element of his game, and going 34.5 percent from deep on 5.5 attempts per game just isn’t going to get it done.

Looking at season-long numbers doesn’t yield much in terms of progression, but zooming in on his play in the final month before play stopped, there are some positive indicators of Murray’s game progressing to another level. In February, Murray converted 40.7 percent of his 6.6 attempts from deep and upped his overall efficiency from the floor to 53.9 percent while averaging 23.6 points per game. That type of production has to be what the Nuggets are betting on seeing more of out of their newest max player.

In a less than glamorous market, the Nuggets might not have had an option but to max Murray to keep him around long-term, but it was a significant choice that will have ripple effects on the team’s financial flexibility moving forward. Only the benefit of hindsight will allow us to grade value of that contract, but it will undoubtedly be a significant part of the narrative if the Nuggets flounder and fail to live up to increasingly lofty expectations.

Bye-Bye Beasley and Juancho

Often it is the departure of an iconic player, the retirement of a long-tenured coach, or the drafting of a potential superstar that defines an “era” for teams. However, I would make the case that the Nuggets sending out Malik Beasley and Juancho Hernangomez at the trade deadline was the end of an era for the Nuggets. Probably one of the most genuinely fun eras in recent memory, sandwiched between the misery of the Brian Shaw Nuggets and the newly found anxiety that comes with being a team that is no longer a “sleeper,” but is instead expected to win.

The Beasley/Juancho era to me is one of pure unbridled optimism, not yet weighed down with the burden of expectation. In this time a pudgy second-rounder from Serbia shocked the league and blossomed into an All-Star; Jamal Murray began to deliver on the promise that Emmanuel Mudiay couldn’t; a draft night trade sent Donovan Mitchell out for Trey Lyles and Tyler Lydon (big oops); and my all-time favorite Juancho highlight occurred. Juancho and Beasley were fan favorites for a reason, and while it may not have been explicitly apparent, a large part of that was what they represented to the team and the growing international fan base – endless optimism.

This trade undoubtedly marks the beginning of the the Jokic Era. Who knows what the “Jokic Era” holds in store for the Nuggets. What is clear is that it comes with a new set of expectations and a reminder that building a championship caliber team demands that tough decisions be made. With higher expectations comes the reality that overachieving becomes much, much harder. When eras end it is hard not to feel a bit sad or reminiscent, but the hope is that this next era presents more promise than ever of seeing a Western Conference Championship and maybe, just maybe, the first ever NBA Championship in Denver.

Michael Porter Jr.

After what felt like an eternity of hype and uncertainty, Michael Porter Jr. finally made his NBA debut on a Halloween matchup against the Pelicans. It was an impressive offensive performance, as the rookie forward went off for 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting and one triple in 20 minutes of action. There were also some head-scratching moments on the other end of the floor. In retrospect, this debut was a microcosm of what was to become an up and down season for Porter.

On one hand, he clearly has the potential to become an elite offensive talent at the NBA level, like best-offensive-weapon-on-a-playoff-team elite. He is an efficient scorer from all three levels, shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and going 42 percent from deep. Without Malik Beasley on the roster now, the Nuggets need someone to step up as a hyper-efficient deep ball threat. Porter clearly has the potential to become that (and much, much more) as he knocked down 57% of his corner threes, and was hyper efficient from deep as a catch-and-shoot option.

However, if Porter is going to come even close to hitting his ceiling, he will need to improve significantly on the defensive side of things. It wasn’t necessarily for a lack of effort, which is encouraging, but Porter looked completely lost at times and would miss rotations, be caught totally flat footed, or get prone to ball watching. Despite his shortcomings, he was impressive on the glass, posting a huge 24.3 defensive rebound percentage and solid 8.8 offensive rebound percentage. He may never be a lock-down defender, but a lot of his mistakes are fixable and should be ironed out with more NBA reps and coaching.

From a fantasy perspective, I’m bullish on MPJ as an eventual top-50 player based solely on his efficient scoring and rebounding potential. If some of his potential as a rim protector is realized and he becomes a more disruptive defender on the wing, there is a decent chance of him hitting the top-30 mark. Regardless of whether the Nuggets bring back Paul Millsap and Torrey Craig in free agency, look for Porter to play a larger role next season as some of his defensive lapses are minimized and the need for more consistent spacing in the starting five is apparent.

Roster Turnover

The trade deadline made clear what has been somewhat of an elephant in the room this season: the Nuggets team that suits up for the 2020-2021 season will likely look quite a bit different than this current team. Nothing as earth shattering as the team facing the prospect of Jokic or Murray departing in free agency, but all of the roster depth that the Nuggets created is speeding directly at the brick wall that is the salary cap.

The departure of fan favorites Malik Beasley and Juancho Hernangomez at the deadline was the first domino of what will likely be many to fall as the Nuggets face the prospect of losing Paul Millsap, Mason Plumlee, Torrey Craig, P.J. Dozier, Noah Vonleh, and Jerami Grant (should he decline his $9.3 million player option).

Outside of Millsap and Craig, none of the players potentially heading elsewhere consistently find themselves in the Nuggets’ starting five, but Plumlee in particular gives the Nuggets a ton of flexibility off the bench in his ability to fill in as a big man Jokic-ball surrogate in the second unit and is an underrated defensive presence down low. With Murray’s new deal officially hitting the books in 2020-2021, the Nuggets suddenly find themselves in a far more cap-constrained position than they have been in years.

There is money available with Millsap’s deal coming off the books, but will Millsap be willing to take a team-friendly deal that allows the Nuggets to re-sign Grant to a longer term deal and likely replace Millsap in the starting lineup? Will Plumlee be able to resist the allure of more money than the Nuggets can reasonably spend, or the possibility of stepping out of Jokic’s shadow and returning to a starting role elsewhere? Regardless of the answer to these questions, it is clear that the Nuggets’ reserve corps will likely look quite a bit different for the first time in quite some time.

The Nuggets didn’t surrender much in the deal, sending the recently acquired Shabazz Napier to Washington. Napier was going to be a big luxury as the team’s third point guard, but Denver has enough depth in Jamal Murray and Monte Morris to pass on Napier’s contributions to fill a different need among its reserves.

One of the main reasons that the Nuggets parted with Beasley, whose play last season kept the team afloat despite a rash of injuries, is that they were unlikely to be able to retain him in restricted free agency this summer, even as his role and play have diminished this season. That doesn’t figure to be as big of an issue with McRae, who is five years older than Beasley with less of a track record of success.

As for this season, however, it’s McRae who has been the more productive player. After appearing in 81 games (18 starts) last season, Beasley has appeared in 41 of the Nuggets’ games up to the deadline, averaging five fewer minutes per game to boot. His totals have predictably suffered but it’s the efficiency that bounced him out of the rotation, as Beasley went from .402 3-point shooting last year to just .360 this season. Overall, he’s fallen from .474 to .389, and while that could just be a temporary slump, the Nuggets wanted some steadier insurance from a scoring perspective, as well as a player that would cost them less to retain.

McRae has dealt with a few injuries this year but has been a solid bench scorer when healthy, averaging career-highs with 12.8 points, 1.4 3-pointers and 22.6 minutes per game. He’s shooting .420 from the field and .377 from behind the arc, and his numbers may actually steady out and improve once he arrives in Denver. McRae is shooting 41.7% on his catch-and-shoot threes this season, though they only comprise 18.9% of his total shots.

Contrast that with Beasley, who is getting almost 40% of his shots as catch-and-shoot triples. Limiting the amount of pull-up shots McRae takes, as well as the amount of work he does as a ball-handler, could see the efficiency gap widen further.

The Nuggets boast a deep bench with players who can excel in highly specific roles. Go-to bench scorer and floor-spacer is one archetype that they were missing, and while McRae, like Beasley before him, might not play every single night, the Nuggets will roll the dice on his ability to get hot in a hurry. It’s the one clear area where McRae has more to offer than Beasley, and he’s a specialist that can help swing games down the stretch.

It isn’t a perfect comparison and losing a promising player like Beasley stings, but that’s life in a cap league. For now, the Nuggets have added a player that brings a different dynamic to the table, as well as one that they have a better shot at keeping moving forward. It’s the sort of sacrifice that teams with title hopes tend to make.

In between, the two teams roped the Wolves into taking on Evan Turner’s expiring contract. As the salaries and roster spots continued to fly, the Nuggets stepped in with a shrewd piece of business that sets the team up for another move down the line, whether that’s prior to Thursday’s trade deadline or beyond.

We recently discussed the notion that Denver, who has an open window and enough depth to get aggressive, was unlikely to make a move that would tangibly impact the current core without assuming a massive amount of risk given the importance and salary of players that would need to be moved.

Instead the Nuggets opted to consolidate their depth for a more nebulous future asset.

Denver traded impending RFAs Malik Beasley and Juancho Hernangomez, as well as Jarred Vanderbilt, and received Shabazz Napier, Keita Bates-Diop, Noah Vonleh, Gerald Green and Houston’s first-round pick.

Beasley in particular was a godsend for the Nuggets last season, as his breakout was one of the main factors in the team staying afloat and even surging amidst injuries on the wing. He’s struggled to find his footing in a crowded and healthy rotation this year, and it seemed highly likely that the Nuggets would watch him walk away this summer.

Though they would theoretically have the cap space to match most offers for the 23-year-old shooting guard, common sense dictates that Denver would have to balk at the eventual price tag for a player who would be stuck in a bench role.

That same logic applies to Hernangomez, who has had an even harder time finding consistent minutes throughout his four years with the Nuggets. The idea of Hernangomez has always sounded good as an abstract concept, but up-and-down play and vanishing opportunity ultimately defined his tenure. Hernangomez’s field goal percentage has bounced wildly, going from .451 to .387 to .439 to .346 this season. Unsurprisingly, those high marks came in years where he averaged 13.6 and 19.4 minutes per contest, with the low ones in seasons of 11.1 and 11.9 minutes per game. The additions of Michael Porter Jr. and Jerami Grant put the writing on the wall.

In essence, the Nuggets were looking to get what they could for two guys who they knew were highly unlikely to be on the team next season.

That makes the acquisition of Houston’s first-round pick all the more impressive. It’s going to be the lower of the two first-rounders exchanged in this trade (Minnesota gets Brooklyn’s lottery-protected first from the Hawks), but it’s still another asset to dangle if the team wants to be bold.

Beyond that, Denver also added some stability to its rotation, even with the loss of two quality players in Beasley and Hernangomez.

Shabazz Napier will go from Minnesota’s starting point guard to the third-stringer on the Nuggets, which means that at worst he’ll be a fantastic luxury to have behind Jamal Murray and Monte Morris. Napier has the looks of a player who could be on the move again should Denver touch base with a guard-needy team.

Bates-Diop gives the Nuggets a more trustworthy option as a depth forward than Jarred Vanderbilt. Though he’s four years older and lacks one dynamic skillset, he has proven to be a steady hand that can chip in a modest nightly workload with low usage. Vanderbilt may be the better player in the long run but there are still plenty of questions about his game, and if this version of the Nuggets needs to rely on their deepest depth in an emergency situation, they’re likely to prefer the safer option. Teams with championship aspirations are often unwilling to box with uncertainty at the margins.

Vonleh, like Bates-Diop, gives Denver a relatively proven frontcourt option. With Millsap, Grant, Porter and Mason Plumlee all banged up, the Nuggets could use a plug-and-play type. Vonleh’s run in Minnesota was nightmarish but he is coming off a great season with the Knicks where he averaged 8.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 0.7 steals, 0.8 blocks and 0.7 threes in 25.3 minutes a night, shooting .336 from the arc. Nothing that will blow anyone away, but there’s enough versatility there to see how Vonleh could be of use in a pinch – certainly more useful than Vanderbilt.

The Nuggets also received Gerald Green, who is not expected to return this season after fracturing his left foot in early October, and his expiring contract.

In the end, the Nuggets were able to recoup something for two interesting players that seemed destined to leave Denver rather than stick around in highly restricted roles. In doing so they were able to give their floor a light boost and pick up other pieces, whether that’s Napier, the first-round pick or Green’s expiring contract, that may allow them to throw their hat into other trade rings.

We’ll see what comes next.

The window is definitely open, however, which could make them one of the most fascinating teams to keep tabs on as the February 6 trade deadline approaches.

The Nuggets may not have the clout that some of the Western Conference’s other contenders do, but they also feel like a team that’s going through the regular season as a tune-up exercise. After Denver was able to produce elite offense last year, they’ve instead shifted their focus to the defensive end of the floor so far in 2019-20.

It remains to be seen if this is a fundamental retooling of the team’s identity or merely a case of extreme attention to a weak spot from last season, with the ability to pump out blistering offensive numbers still in their collective back pocket (or so they hope).

At the moment, the Nuggets are dealing with a glut of injuries that will put their depth to the test. With Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Paul Millsap, Mason Plumlee all ailing, Denver’s reserves are going to be asked to deliver much as they did last season – it was a similar situation that showed the Nuggets how good their bench players could be, and although the team can feel relatively confident about weathering the present storm, it points to an interesting decision upcoming.

If the Nuggets do decide to make moves, it will almost certainly be more than tweaking the fringes of the roster.

It’s what makes the team’s mention in earlier Kevin Love rumors noteworthy. For one thing, assuming it’s true and the Nuggets at least inquired about Love, it shows that they aren’t prepared to rest on their laurels and will consider adding a significant offensive upgrade.

For another, if the Nuggets were to pursue a player of Love’s stature or impact, it would require a serious face lift given their cap sheet.

In order to add in a significant salary, the Nuggets would likely have to deal away a rotation stalwart. They’re unlike a lot of other teams in that there’s no one obvious candidate to trade away for salary-matching purposes, and a move for Love’s $30 million, for example, would require far more than the appealing low-cost youngsters that are stuck in bench roles. If the Nuggets want a major player, it will involve some of the group of Millsap (expiring, $30.5 million), Plumlee (expiring, $14 million), Jerami Grant ($9.3 million), Harris ($21 million) or Will Barton ($13.25 million).

Trading each of those players comes with significant risk, however. Millsap and Plumlee are Denver’s defensive anchors, and the Nuggets are likely loath to mess with that formula. Grant is Millsap’s heir apparent and just cost the team its first round pick this past summer. Harris is a key two-way presence and one of the longest-tenured Nuggets, while Barton, who may end up being the most expendable of the bunch, is a key source of scoring punch that’s in the midst of a nice bounce-back season after last year was derailed by an early core injury. If he keeps it up that salary will be more than palatable, too.

Further down the roster, impending RFAs Malik Beasley and Juancho Hernangomez have been mentioned as players that other teams are targeting, but taking their salaries off the books won’t ease Denver’s cap issues if they’re going to reel in a big fish.

Ultimately, the question is this – would a big trade, in terms of either size or salary, make the Nuggets obviously better, considering what it’s likely to cost?

The idea would be to consolidate, trimming down a roster that has 12 rotation-caliber players, except the names most likely to be moved in that scenario won’t accommodate a notable addition. If Denver does decide to tinker, then the biggest win might come in the form of a more defined rotation that allows for role players to find better rhythm.

There’s a varying degree of irreplaceability there, certainly, but if the Nuggets want to push their chips in right now then it will lead to a bold maneuver. Perhaps the recent multi-week injury to Plumlee persuades Denver to make a more minor move and shore up the center depth.

The recent emergence of Michael Porter Jr. also gives the Nuggets something to ponder. The talented sophomore shouldn’t be counted on to assume a sizable role just yet, but his stints in the rotation have been incredibly promising. When Porter and Nikola Jokic share the floor, the team is posting an absurd net rating of plus-10.4 in 152 minutes. That definitely merits a longer look.

If Porter can move from secret weapon to certified threat, the Nuggets are suddenly dealing from a more advantageous position. As opposed to their current “already advantageous” position, of course.

It’s not as though a move must be made in the next couple of weeks. Between their relative youth, upcoming cap space and the possibility that this season could be a valuable fact-finding venture about how the Lakers, Clippers, Rockets, Jazz, et al might be vulnerable over the course of a seven-game series, the Nuggets could choose to wait until the summer to make a splash.

In all likelihood, the Nuggets place too much value in what they’ve built to jeopardize what is expected to be a big season. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, however, and if Denver chooses to cash in some of its elite depth to get in the arms race in the current star-heavy ecosystem, they could be the talk of the deadline.

They may not (read: probably will not) be able to truly hang with the game’s titans, but there’s some excitement about what a full-strength Team Canada would look like.

For a variety of reasons, some valid and some much more nebulous, the Canadian squad has rarely been its best on-paper self in international competition. Players like Cory Joseph, Tristan Thompson and Kelly Olynyk have almost always showed up when called upon. Khem Birch has joined those ranks in recent years, with a declaration that nobody else can sway Khem Birch’s decision making:

Khem Birch on his decision to play for Canada: “I don’t let anyone dictate my career or anything. I let Khem Birch dictate what he wants to do and Khem Birch decided to play for his country because I want to go to the Olympics.”

— Mike Ganter (@Mike_Ganter) September 4, 2019

The next wave of Canadian talent has yet to make an impression on the international stage, but it has always felt like there would be a sort of floodgate-opening moment. All it would take is one upper-tier player to show up, and others would follow. Perhaps that’s what we’re seeing now.

Jamal Murray announced his decision to play for Canada in their Olympic qualifying tournament this summer, and that was quickly followed by commitments from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, RJ Barrett, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Chris Boucher.

Among the other early committers are Dwight Powell, Dillon Brooks and Oshae Brissett.

It’s an encouraging step for Team Canada, who saw a decent looking list of training camp invitees dwindle quickly when actual camp opened this past summer. Some players, like Murray, Brooks and Barrett, were nursing injuries. Others, like Gilgeous-Alexander, opted to focus on the upcoming NBA season. Whatever the case, Canada’s only NBA players on the final World Cup roster were Joseph and Birch.

Other NBA names on the initial invite list that didn’t attend camp include Brandon Clarke, Trey Lyles, Nik Stauskas, Luguentz Dort, Mfiondu Kabengele, Naz Mitrou-Long and Marial Shayok. There aren’t many impact players in that bunch – it’s really only Clarke – but Canada was still forced to reach deeper in the bag for their summertime Olympic qualifier.

All of those absences contributed to the current sense of urgency, with Canada needing to win a six-team tournament to earn a place in the 2020 Olympics. They’ll need to go through Greece, the Czech Republic, Turkey, China and Uruguay. While the tournament will be held in Victoria, British Columbia, it’s far from an easy draw. And yet, the national program really has no choice but to make good on this opportunity.

Now is the time for Team Canada to push their chips to the middle. Riding the wave of the Raptors’ championship run is a must for the federation, as the entire postseason showed the sort of appetite that Canada – not just Toronto – has for hoops. Between the potential player pool and Nick Nurse at the whiteboard, this is undoubtedly the most talented group that Canada will have ever assembled, and a successful showing, which has to come in the form of an Olympic berth, would double down on the Raptors’ success. This is a major opportunity for Canada Basketball to make inroads with the nation’s youth.

At this point, there’s no reason that a nation with such a heavy NBA presence should miss out on qualifying for the Olympic games. For so long that result was because the Canadians entered every international tournament at a severe talent disadvantage. It looks like Canada’s top talents might be collectively deciding to end the drought. If they go down now, at least it will be with a real fight.

Although the final roster may not end up featuring all the players who have committed, and Andrew Wiggins’ foggy relationship with the national program continues to loom over the proceedings, Canada should be feeling cautiously optimistic. The early commitment from guys like Murray and SGA gives a huge lift to the program, and the hope is that Canada’s other top talents start to follow suit with regularity.

The Warriors’ dynasty is done, the Lakers and Clippers have added major starpower, the Rockets reunited old friends and the Jazz have finally added an elite point guard to the mix. That, and there’s plenty of young teams gunning to assert themselves, ranging from current contenders like Denver to up-and-comers like Sacramento and Dallas. Despite all the player movemnt this summer, the West reigns supreme in terms of quality and it figures to be a dogfight as teams jockey for playoff spots, let alone seeding.

True superteams may be gone for the moment but there are more than enough dynamic duos to tide us over in a season that figures to be pretty unpredictable.

Dallas Mavericks

Fifth and final starter

Delon Wright, Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis and Dwight Powell appear to be locked in as four of the Mavs’ starters. The versatility of that group means that Dallas can go in a couple of different directions with the last starting spot.

If Doncic ends up playing shooting guard the Mavs have a few intriguing small forward options. Justin Jackson got the nod in the team’s first preseason game, but he’s never really emerged as an impact player despite providing passable, invisible minutes. Rick Carlisle favorite Dorian Finney-Smith has held down the starting role in the past but the Mavs may want to maximize his utility as a do-it-all bench option.

If shooting guard is the open spot and Doncic starts at the three, Tim Hardaway Jr., who is recovering from another stress reaction in his left leg, might be the choice. He would also be a valuable primary scorer for a second unit, however, and might not have the defensive chops to fill a complementary 3-and-D role alongside high-usage stars as a starter. Seth Curry or Jalen Brunson could start if the Mavs want a two-PG look, and Wright’s defensive versatility would make it a workable situation.

Denver Nuggets

What’s on the table for Will Barton?

This probably isn’t what Will Barton envisioned when he signed a four-year, $53 million contract. Elevated into the starting lineup, Will The Thrill’s 2018-19 season was marred by an early injury and he was unable to find a rhythm on a well-oiled machine of a Nuggets team after returning in the midst of a tight playoff race. That injury, of course, allowed players like Malik Beasley and Torrey Craig to step up and cement themselves as real contributors, which leads us to today.

Craig is rumored to be the favorite to start at small forward and is a nice defensive fit with Denver’s four obvious starters. While the competition is still on, Barton may be used in the super-sub sixth man role that led to his big contract in the first place.

The question for Denver probably lies further in the future – with cheaper alternatives in relative abundance, the Nuggets already over the cap and set to watch Jerami Grant, Beasley, Craig, Juancho Hernangomez and Mason Plumlee hit free agency, how much can they afford to allocate to Barton? Keep an eye on his deployment throughout the exhibition slate. The Nuggets undoubtedly believe in him as a player but there are plenty of other paths for the team to take if Barton can’t recapture his old form.

Golden State Warriors

How do the Warriors reshuffle their defense?

As you might’ve heard, the Warriors will look different this season. Though D’Angelo Russell won’t be a straight replacement for Klay Thompson on offense (something we’ll dig into more closely soon), the big questions come on the defensive side of the floor.

The Klay-Russell swap is a massive downgrade there, but Golden State will also be without Kevin Durant’s endless length and Andre Iguodala’s institutional knowledge. Sacramento soured on Willie Cauley-Stein because of his defensive lapses. A team whose defensive units used to move on a string will be decidedly different this year.

Add in the potential need for Golden State to work rest into Draymond Green’s schedule, and we might see some very funky lineups over the course of the season. Keep an eye on how players like Cauley-Stein, Alfonzo McKinnie and Jacob Evans hang on defense in the preseason, otherwise we might see Steve Kerr engage in some schematic retooling.

Houston Rockets

Do the Rockets have a real bench or just situational contributors?

The Rockets continue to swing big, this time swapping Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook. Although they continue to boast one of the league’s most talented backcourt, one can’t help but wonder whether the depth problem will rear its ugly head once again.

Last season Houston dealt with a number of injuries that left them severely shorthanded in the early going, and although the Westbrook-Paul exchange should generally ensure fewer missed games, the Rockets’ bench isn’t exactly a strength.

The group of Austin Rivers, Gerald Green, Gary Clark, Thabo Sefolosha, Tyson Chandler and Nene has plenty of weak spots. Though their minutes will be limited in the postseason, can the Rockets assemble a cohesive bench unit that can get them through the regular season without leaving the starters overtaxed? It’s easy to think of scenarios where each of those bench players can play an important role, but there aren’t a ton of second-unit groups that you can throw out comfortably in any matchup. Anyone who can turn in a strong preseason might be able to distance themselves from the pack for a team that’s dying for secondary contributors.

LA Clippers

Landry Shamet’s point guard minutes

Doc Rivers has cited Landry Shamet’s past work as a lead guard when discussing the fact that Shamet will play some point guard this season. The uncertainty of Paul George’s timeline means that the Clippers will be down one of their primary ball-handlers for at least the first few games of the year, and that’s not inconsequential on a team with one true point guard.

Lou Williams can handle some of those minutes behind Patrick Beverley but he’s better suited in a scoring role. The Clippers have already been forced to get a little creative, letting rookie Terance Mann play backup point guard in training camp as well as the preseason opener. If Shamet can play a capable PG, that would certainly ease the burden on everyone else. Any value that Shamet provides beyond spacing will count as a major win.

Los Angeles Lakers

What does Dwight Howard have left?

After a nine-game campaign and dwindling on-court effectiveness in the years prior, it’s safe to declare Dwight Howard a completely unknown quantity. The Lakers seem to be going out of their way to replace JaVale McGee after a surprisingly productive season, and the Howard move and reported camp battle is the largest affront in a series of decisions.

If Howard can still play, even in a 20-minute role, and that’s a big ‘if,’ he’ll give the Lakers an athletic rim-runner that provides a big boost on the glass. That’s not inconsequential for a team that had to add the ancient Tyson Chandler last season. If he can’t, it’ll be a lot of unnecessary drama for nothing. It should be interesting to see how Howard is used, and how much he can make of his time on the floor.

Memphis Grizzlies

Can Brandon Clarke force his way in?

Ever since the draft, Brandon Clarke has been impossible to ignore. He was borderline dominant in Summer League and has continued to impress throughout training camp, and the rebuilding Grizzlies have to be overjoyed with his play so far. If there’s one dark cloud on the horizon for Clarke it’s that Memphis has two frontcourt pillars in Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas locked into the starting five.

Although JV may not be a 30-minute per night player, he will start, and he will be a featured offensive player when he is on the floor. That, plus the presence of power forward types in Jae Crowder and Bruno Caboclo, will put playing time pressure on Clarke as he tries to carve out a role. That won’t be a monumental task given Clarke’s play so far and Memphis’ trajectory, but he can start to explore his ceiling quickly with a big preseason.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Robert Covington: Power Forward?

The Wolves are prepared to hand the starting shooting guard job to either Jarrett Culver or Josh Okogie, which will push everyone down a position. Barring a stunning bench demotion for Andrew Wiggins, that means we’re looking at Robert Covington opening the season as Minnesota’s starting power forward.

With the backdrop of Covington’s balky knees, it’s going to be a big challenge for a player who might need to add a little muscle to make it work in every possible matchup. Additionally, that might be suboptimal deployment for a player who has proven to be an All-NBA defender at the wing position. It’s at least a worthy experiment for a team that’s unlikely to make the playoffs while trying to find proper complements for Karl-Anthony Towns.

New Orleans Pelicans

Who loses out on the wings?

There’s an undeniable sense of excitement around the Pelicans this season as David Griffin has done his best to put together a roster that will thrive in an up-tempo attack. Though most of the attention has rightfully fallen to Zion Williamson, New Orleans is facing a bit of a logjam with all of their new acquisitions.

This is Jrue Holiday’s team, which means he’s locked into big minutes split between point guard and shooting guard. With Lonzo Ball in town, he’s likely to start at point guard, with Holiday opening games at the two. That figures to leave J.J. Redick out in the cold, unless the Pelicans opt to go super-small and move Brandon Ingram to the bench. Any way you slice it, someone who is used to starting will be forced to come off the bench. While you’re watching Zion jam on everyone, remember to keep an eye on Alvin Gentry’s rotations.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Andre Roberson

The Thunder have plenty of minutes available on the wings, which means that a healthy Roberson will have a great opportunity to reestablish himself as an elite defender. It has been over a year since he took the court thanks to a devastating injury and multiple setbacks, but his health could have a surprisingly large effect on the bottom half of the playoff bracket.

If the Thunder focus more on development than scrapping for a low playoff spot, Roberson’s presence can still help the team in a number of ways. Perhaps he plays himself into the team’s future plans, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander likely to slide back over to point guard as soon as Chris Paul leaves town (if not before). It’s possible that Roberson becomes a sought-after trade target as the arms race develops, with contenders itching to acquire a lockdown defender. Above all else, it’ll just be good to see him back on the court – it’s hard to root against someone so close to the end of an arduous road.

Phoenix Suns

Power forward battle

The Suns and a faint sense of hope: a tradition like no other. Phoenix went out and added a real point guard, as well as one of the top coaches on the market. Forward progress is being made but there remain a lot of questions to be answered about the team’s power forward rotation, and while there are a couple sensible choices there are a few options that would be Classic Suns.

In all likelihood the job will fall to either Dario Saric or Mikal Bridges. Young, talented players with versatility and upside. Perfect! With Kelly Oubre Jr. at small forward, however, it’s going to be a cramped rotation with these three, who would all benefit from extended minutes. That’s all well and good but the Suns also reached on forward Cam Johnson in the first round, and the organization may force him onto the floor to try and prove outsiders wrong. Mix in talk that newcomers Frank Kaminsky and Cheick Diallo could play some power forward as well (with Deandre Ayton and Aron Baynes consuming the entire center rotation), and it quickly becomes a mess.

Saric and Bridges need as much playing time as possible, but will they get it? And who will get the lion’s share? If Saric can take advantage of Bridges’ knee bone bruise, he can right the ship after a rocky campaign split between Philly and Minnesota.

Portland Trail Blazers

Reworking the forward rotation

The Blazers surprised pundits yet again last season, making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals despite losing Jusuf Nurkic amidst an outstanding campaign. While Portland will always carry a chip on its shoulder, it’s tough to see them authoring a repeat performance – even if Hassan Whiteside shows up on his best behavior and blossoms. Though most of the talk is centered on the improvement of other teams, the Blazers have some serious questions to answer at the forward positions.

Between Al-Farouq Aminu, Moe Harkless and Jake Layman, the Blazers will need to fill 70 minutes per game and 167 combined starts, exclusively at small forward and power forward. The addition of Kent Bazemore figures to help, though he has a mixed track record of success as a small forward. In 2015-16, he played 79% of his minutes at SF and was solid with 11.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 threes per game on .441 from the field and a plus-2.3 net rating.

The following year saw him take a step back with 58% of his minutes coming at SF, as he produced averages of 11.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.7 threes on .409 from the field with a minus-1.7 net rating. Bazemore has primarily been a shooting guard since, only appearing as a small forward in 4% of his minutes last season per Basketball-Reference.

The largely untested Zach Collins is expected to start at power forward, and teams will be targeting him as a perimeter defender early and often. Offensively, his .331 mark from distance falls short of Aminu’s .343 mark, and teams will probably dare him to become a volume 3-point shooter with Whiteside dominating the interior. Behind Collins and Bazemore are Rodney Hood, Mario Hezonja and Anthony Tolliver. Portland will be tested against the West’s all-world collection of small forwards and Terry Stotts might need to get creative.

Sacramento Kings

Trevor Ariza’s playing time

For the second straight season, Ariza has chosen to sign on with a team in the bottom half of the West. Last season you could make the case that he was trying to combine a big paycheck with his playing time needs, but this year looks like the beginning of a steep decline. The Kings have added a couple centers and re-signed Harrison Barnes to start at small forward, and Ariza will not be a threat to Marvin Bagley’s minutes at power forward.

Ariza has not averaged fewer than 33.9 mpg since an injury-plagued 2012-13 season, and was over 32.9 mpg in the three seasons prior to that. Unless Luke Walton shoehorns him into a rotation at the expense of younger players (which has caused rifts with Sacramento’s front office in the past), Ariza is going to have to accept a drastically diminished role. That can be a tough adjustment for a guy who can clearly still handle big minutes, as well as one who may be more of a natural fit at small forward than a higher-paid teammate. Keep an eye on how Walton juggles the forward group.

San Antonio Spurs

Poeltl Power

Jakob Poeltl’s season featured plenty of ups and downs. A training camp battle for the starting center spot didn’t go his way, and he would actually sit out three of the Spurs’ first six games, logging just 54 seconds in one of those appearances. Through the end of January Poeltl averaged 14.7 minutes per game. For a player who was thought of as the sort of cerebral hard worker that would fit the San Antonio system, it was a struggle.

Poeltl was able to gain some traction in the wake of Pau Gasol’s foot injury and subsequent release, averaging 19.7 minutes (and 1.3 blocks per game) from February onwards. Though he may always have trouble defending larger players, Poeltl has great rebounding and rim-protecting instincts and can move in space better than a lot of his peers. If he can hit the ground running this season it would be a big development for the Spurs, and it could even be his ticket to the starting lineup. Last season Poeltl averaged 3.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.2 blocks in 17.4 mpg through five preseason contests – let’s see if he can do better this time around.

Utah Jazz

Defensive drop-off?

The Jazz are undoubtedly a title contender after adding Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic to round out what was already a strong core. They’re far more dangerous offensively and now have a number of ways to topple opponents rather than grinding them down on defense and leaning on Donovan Mitchell for scoring. Although Utah will still hang its hat on defense, this offseason did bring some changes that could leave the Jazz somewhat exposed.

That largely occurs at the power forward spot, where an effective thunder and lightning combo of Derrick Favors and Jae Crowder has been replaced by Jeff Green and some miscast players. Beyond Green, the most likely candidates to see meaningful minutes at the four are Royce O’Neale, Bojan Bogdanovic and Joe Ingles. Though Basketball-Reference credits Ingles with 66% of his minutes at the four spot last season, Bogdanovic and O’Neale check in at 4% and 2%, respectively. With rumors of Ingles moving to a sixth man role so Bogdanovic can start, that would put a pretty heavy burden on either the 33-year-old Green or a player who has extremely limited experience.

Quin Snyder is one of the league’s top coaches and there are few doubts that the Jazz will get it figured out, but the team’s defense might not be on autopilot this season. The preseason should be illuminating in terms of how that unit will need to adjust.