How can the Nuggets win the West?

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily: "How Can the Nuggets Win the West?"

Release Date: July 8, 2025
Hosts: Dave DeFore, Esperaheny, Adam Mares
Guest: Adam Mares from the All NBA Podcast and DNVR

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1. Offseason Overhaul and Roster Changes

Overview:
The Denver Nuggets have undergone a significant roster overhaul during the offseason, marking the most eventful period in the Jokic era. Unlike previous offseasons where minor adjustments were made, the Nuggets have added multiple players, fundamentally reshaping the team's core.

Key Points:

• The team has moved beyond adding one or two players, indicating a comprehensive strategy to enhance the roster.
• Emphasis on acquiring role players that complement Nikola Jokic’s playing style.

Notable Quotes:

• Esperaheny ([04:06]): “This is the most eventful off season of the entire Jokic era. There's never been more than one or two guys added to the roster. This is a whole roster overhaul.”

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2. Acquisition of Cam Johnson: A Strategic Fit

Overview:
One of the standout moves is the acquisition of Cam Johnson, who brings more than just offensive prowess to the team. His defensive intelligence and ability to stay in the right spot on the court are seen as pivotal for the Nuggets.

Key Points:

• Cam Johnson is praised for his shooting ability and defensive awareness.
• His arrival allows for a more cohesive starting lineup, reducing reliance on key players like Michael Porter Jr.
• Johnson’s versatility in both transition and half-court settings addresses previous defensive shortcomings.

Notable Quotes:

• Esperaheny ([05:29]): “Cam Johnson lives in the coffin corner. He loves the coffin corner. It’s not a coffin corner to him.”
• Dave DeFore ([06:35]): “Cam Johnson is not a mistake prone guy.”

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3. Defensive Enhancements and Role Adjustments

Overview:
The addition of Cam Johnson is expected to bolster the Nuggets’ defense. The team aims to minimize defensive mistakes, which have historically cost them in crucial moments.

Key Points:

• Johnson's presence allows Aaron Gordon to focus more on rim protection rather than perimeter defense.
• Enhanced defensive stability aims to prevent the team from giving up easy baskets during critical periods.
• The team's defensive rating is expected to improve, especially in high-pressure situations.

Notable Quotes:

• Esperaheny ([06:47]): “Cam Johnson is solid enough to not make that compromise.”
• Dave DeFore ([08:09]): “Having an eight-man rotation allows for fresher legs in the postseason.”

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4. Depth and Bench Strength

Overview:
Depth has been a critical issue for the Nuggets in previous seasons, often leading to fatigue and inconsistent performances during the playoffs. The offseason moves aim to address this by expanding the rotation and ensuring fresher players are available.

Key Points:

• New additions like Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. provide valuable minutes and shooting, easing the load on the starters.
• Improved bench depth is expected to sustain the team's performance throughout the long NBA season and deep into the playoffs.
• Potential inclusion of Jonas Valančiūnas remains a question, affecting the team's center depth.

Notable Quotes:

• Adam Mares ([08:41]): “The ability to not wear yourself out is a big piece of this.”
• Esperaheny ([09:52]): “David Adelman now is going in with a deeper roster.”

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5. Jonas Valančiūnas Situation

Overview:
Jonas Valančiūnas is a focal point of discussion, with uncertainties surrounding his future with the Nuggets. His role as a backup center is crucial for balancing Jokic’s minutes and providing inside presence.

Key Points:

• Valančiūnas offers reliable rebounding and scoring, essential for maintaining team performance when Jokic rests.
• Contractual uncertainties and potential offers from Europe add complexity to the Nuggets’ strategy.
• Maintaining Valančiūnas or finding a suitable replacement is vital for the team's defensive and offensive balance.

Notable Quotes:

• Dave DeFore ([10:22]): “Do you think they're still gonna...what's your gut say?”
• Esperaheny ([10:22]): “Valančiūnas represents at least the idea that even if your second unit is hemorrhaging points...”

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6. Impact of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown

Overview:
The acquisitions of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown are seen as significant additions that enhance both the offensive and defensive facets of the team.

Key Points:

• Tim Hardaway Jr.: Brings shooting and playmaking abilities, enhancing the team’s offensive schemes alongside Jokic.
• Bruce Brown: His defensive versatility and experience are expected to stabilize the team's perimeter defense.

Notable Quotes:

• Esperaheny ([14:29]): “Tim Hardaway Jr. might be number one [in the trade]. He can shoot the ball, he can run dribble, handoff game and pick and roll game.”
• Esperaheny ([15:43]): “Bruce Brown is phenomenal back in Denver like he was two years ago.”

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7. Comparing Nuggets to Western Conference Competitors

Overview:
The discussion shifts to how the revamped Nuggets stack up against other top teams in the Western Conference, particularly the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets.

Key Points:

• Oklahoma City Thunder: The Nuggets are now considered on par with the Thunder, contingent on maintaining their roster strength.
• Houston Rockets: Pose a significant threat, especially if key players like Kevin Durant remain healthy and perform consistently.
• Golden State and Clippers: Both teams are viewed as contenders, but health and consistency remain concerns.

Notable Quotes:

• Esperaheny ([21:24]): “If we assume Valančiūnas is there, I do put him in the same tier as Oklahoma City.”
• Esperaheny ([23:20]): “Denver has the ability to negate their biggest weapon, which is speeding them up by getting into Jokic.”

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8. Championship Contention: Prerequisites for Success

Overview:
For the Nuggets to be genuine championship contenders, several critical factors need to align throughout the season.

Key Points:

• Jamal Murray’s Health and Performance: Murray must enter the season in peak condition and maintain consistent performance to alleviate Jokic’s load.
• Peyton Watson’s Defensive Role: As a key defender, Watson needs to excel in guarding top perimeter players to solidify the team's defense.
• Consistency and Depth: Maintaining a healthy roster with deep bench contributions is essential for sustaining performance during the grueling NBA schedule and playoffs.

Notable Quotes:

• Esperaheny ([26:35]): “Jamal Murray has to come in and have a career season, no questions asked.”
• Esperaheny ([28:52]): “He has to be healthy all year, and for him to be healthy, he needs to probably be in the best shape of his life.”

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9. Final Thoughts and Future Outlook

Overview:
The panel concludes with an optimistic outlook for the Nuggets, provided that key players remain healthy and the team can effectively integrate their new additions into a cohesive unit.

Key Points:

• The offseason moves have positioned the Nuggets as serious contenders in the West.
• Health, especially of pivotal players like Jokic and Murray, remains the linchpin for the team's success.
• With a deeper rotation and strategic acquisitions, the Nuggets are well-equipped to challenge top-tier teams and mount a significant playoff run.

Notable Quotes:

• Dave DeFore ([30:15]): “... convinced that the Nuggets are now on the same tier as the Thunder.”
• Esperaheny ([29:20]): “Golden State, I feel like something's... harder than ever to make it through 82 games and four rounds of the playoffs.”

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Conclusion

The Denver Nuggets have made substantial strides in their offseason, aiming to address previous weaknesses and bolster their championship aspirations. With strategic acquisitions like Cam Johnson, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Bruce Brown, combined with an emphasis on depth and defensive stability, the Nuggets are positioned to contend fiercely in the Western Conference. However, the health and performance consistency of key players like Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray will ultimately determine their success in navigating the competitive landscape of the NBA West.

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Note: Advertisements and non-content sections have been omitted to focus solely on the podcast's substantive discussions.

Transcript

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[Dave DeFore]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for July 8, 2025. I'm Dave DeFore here with Esperaheny and Adam Mares from the All NBA Podcast and DNVR to talk about all things Nuggets offseason. Good morning everybody. Good morning guys. Welcome. Adam, welcome back to the show. Pretty, pretty good summer so far for your Nuggets out there.

[Adam Mares]

Oh yeah, yeah.

[Esperaheny]

I can't believe it, man. This is the most eventful off season of the entire Jokic era. There's never been more than one or two guys added to the roster. This is a whole roster overhaul. So very exciting.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, we've kind of talked about this, you know, after the season a little bit like something had to change. And I was of the opinion that this team needed to go out and get an All Star caliber player. But I think what they've done, they've gotten like the role player equivalent to getting one all Star. You know, they've really filled out the rest of the rotation. I can't remember it. When was the last time The Nuggets had 10 guys?

[Esperaheny]

Was it title year? Yeah, that's part of it, the title year. And even then it was, I think it was eight deep. If you recall the playoffs. Eight is enough to get you through a playoffs as long as you don't run into some a team that requires a different type of player than the eight you have. But. So Denver was able to make it through there. But you mentioned it to me, the Cam Johnson piece of this is Just so exciting. It's not just a lateral, you know, like player for, like, player. I think it's the first time Jokic has had five guys in the starting lineup who all know exactly what to do and be in the right spot. So I'm very excited about Cam Johnson.

[Adam Mares]

It's also like changing the fabric of the team because Michael Porter Jr. Was so important to what they were for a very long time. And so you're. You're rejigging what the quote, unquote, core was of this championship roster for a really long time. How do you feel Cam fits in? Because I. I think he fits in like a glove playing off ball. Jokic, I mean, Dave and I have talked about, like, just the cutting ability, moving without the ball. But what do you think, first impression wise with Cam on this team?

[Esperaheny]

For me, it's a home run fit. And if you look at Christian Brown, if we just talk about skill sets, you know, how great of a player is he? He's really good. He doesn't have a great skill. He's really good at a lot of things. What he's great at is being in the right spot. And Jokic is the type of guy that if you're in the right spot, he sees it whether he has to look or not. Aaron Gordon always in the right spot. He does have a more expansive skill set. He is great at some things, but he's always in the right spot. Michael Porter was a great shooter. Cam Johnson's a great shooter, but Cam Johnson is always in the right spot. And I know one area in particular in transition and even in the half court. Michael Porter did not like being in what he considered the coffin corner. You go stand in the corner, you got to do your job. But he didn't like it because he go there four or five times in a row. Ball never finds you, but you're still doing his job. Cam Johnson lives in the coffin corner. He loves the coffin corner. It's not a coffin corner to him. So I just think that it's mentality, but also reading the court. Denver is at their best and won a championship. When five guys, no matter who it is, are all working together to solve problems, and they just got a problem solver who's much better than the guy they had in that same spot.

[Dave DeFore]

How do you feel about the. The defensive part of this? You know, do you feel like this, this works better for them? Are they gonna be a little bit more switchable? Is he gonna play up for them at all and have maybe Aaron Gordon at the 5.

[Esperaheny]

So I don't know that they'll want to go to the head. Although their, their center position, their backup center position in flux at the moment. So maybe that. Yeah, so maybe they'll be forced to. But I don't think that was the plan when they signed him. What I think this does, it's, it's really twofold. One, mistakes kill you when you're not a great defense. And I think Denver in the playoffs in the Okochera has been a good defense. In the regular season they're not at all. But in the playoffs they're good and they can have moments of being very good when it was required of them, especially in clutch time, they're not great. And mistakes kill you because you can be very good or good for 46 minutes, but two minutes worth of mistakes and all of a sudden your defensive rating is terrible and the other team gets on a run, you're giving up wide open shots. That's what Michael Porter represented. And I think first and foremost Cam Johnson is not a mistake prone guy. Oh, I forgot the coverage. I didn't go back as. I forgot who I was guarding in transition. So you erase that. But secondly, he is good enough at just doing his job that I don't think Denver's going to have to use Aaron Gordon to guard second best perimeter players. Which is what's happened to Denver in the last couple playoffs where they've taken him out of rim protection mode and said he have it. We can't have MPJ on J Dub or whoever it is. We have to put Aaron Gordon there. And now Michael Porter's your rim protector, your low man. I think Aaron Gordon will now get to play that role a lot more. Not because Cam Johnson's great at defense, but he's solid enough to not make that compromise.

[Adam Mares]

Well, there's also like the depth element to this too because you can have fresher legs if you can play more guys in the postseason. And so when you have an eight man rotation to be able to go to, you can keep a Christian Brown more fresh, you can keep a Cam Johnson more fresh. I, I think of the additions of Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. While there are defensive questions to what they provide, obviously it's just a matter of getting fresh legs. Do you think that plays a part into the guard rotation not including Jonas Valentunas right now?

[Esperaheny]

Well, there's no question that Denver needed bodies. And if you think back to each of the last two years, two years ago, Denver was in a battle for the 1 seed with Minnesota and Oklahoma City, and they had to sprint to the finish line. They ended up tripping up and losing to the spurs with two games left to go. And that sprinting ended up all being thrown out the window because of that loss.

[Adam Mares]

Changed that entire postseason.

[Esperaheny]

It changed the whole thing because the routes were different. And then Denver ran out of gas against Minnesota when they went to that seven game series. Clearly ran out of gas. I think they ran out of gas this year as well. You know, having to sprint, you change coaches all of a sudden. Seven game series, first round, second round. So I think just having the ability to not wear yourself out is a big piece of this. But the biggest piece, and it might be as big as the Cam Johnson piece, when we talk about everything, is that Michael Malone, in my opinion, was largely responsible for Denver sprinting to the finish line in both of those years. He did not trust guys 7 through 15 on the roster, did not play them, and you could argue he made the right choice. Maybe those guys weren't ready, but I think David Adelman now is going in with a deeper roster, but also a commitment to. We might lose games in October, November, December, but we have to stretch it out so that these guys are not playing. Jokic played 37 minutes a game last year. It cannot happen again.

[Dave DeFore]

Right? Yeah. Well, let's talk about Jonas Valentunas, because that's the big question mark hanging over everything right now as we're recording. We don't know if he's going to be a Denver Nugget. He's got this, this offer in Europe. You know, I think he's going to wind up playing. It doesn't seem like the Nuggets are going to allow him to, to leave his contract. And according to the FIBA bylaws, essentially they would have to allow him to, to leave that contract. Do you think they're still gonna. I mean, is this trade gonna happen? Like, how. What's your gut say?

[Esperaheny]

I mean, that's a good question and I really don't know the answer to it. You know, we'll have to see how it plays out. This is a very uncharted territory. But you said the point. I think Denver does ultimately hold the final trump card. They can enforce this and say, you have to, you have to stay here. I imagine Denver is falling back on that, but probably also looking at, okay, if he doesn't want to be here, is there a path, an easier resistance that we can go to find an Al Horford or some other player to come in, but if they do force him to play. It's an awkward situation, but it's also an exciting one for Denver because to your point, they have not had a player of his caliber backing up Jokic. Jokic, we saw it 40, 50 times last year, would go to the bench in the third quarter for two minutes before he had to get back up because that bench just hemorrhaged points, and all of a sudden he's at 37, 38, 39 minutes for the night. Valanchunas represents at least the idea that even if your second unit is hemorrhaging points, it's like, yeah, but it's good process. That's a guy we believe in, and we can at least stick with it. And let's keep Jokic's minutes more sustained. And then on top of that, big Val's good. You look at the west, it's getting big. He's a great rebounder. Stephen Adams, Clint Capella, John Collins and Brook Lopez. There's a lot of backup centers now who can rebound, and I think Denver just needs a big, true center to just. Whether it's Valentre's or somebody else, they need it as a. A weapon in their arsenal.

[Dave DeFore]

He can score, too, right? Like, he gets touches in some of the similar spots as Jokic. Right. But he. He's a finisher, and I think that that's something that's lost. Right? Like, he can maybe keep some of these units in ways that DeAndre Jordan just couldn't. I mean, beyond just rebounding, he can actually put the ball in the basket, too.

[Esperaheny]

There's no question. And that's part of what's exciting. I mean, look, Denver has not done a good job. Maybe it's the Michael Malone era, maybe we call it the Yokich era. I don't know what it is, but Denver has not done a good job in their bench minutes. Hopefully, this gives them a couple. Not just release valves like, okay, now it's more deep, it's more complete, but also guys you can play through. If you recall in the championship year, their second unit would throw the ball into Jeff Green, often for a Jeff Green isolation, not because he was phenomenal at it, but because at least it was an option. Valentunas represents a better example of that. I don't think he'll be optioned number one in the second unit, but he is a nice release valve of, okay, we ran some early offense. Nothing happened. Big valves inside. Let's play through him. And that alone gives them an identity.

[Adam Mares]

There's also, like, you don't necessarily need him in the playoffs as an innings eater. You need him in the regular season to take that load off. Right. Because like he's probably going to end up being a guy who's maybe 10 minutes a night, maybe less in the playoffs. But during the regular season you could rely on him for a 20 minute night. You can rely on him for a 25 minute night. Give Jokic, you know, I guess a 30 minute game played in the finals. He absolutely can.

[Dave DeFore]

He can probably give a minute. It's going to be up to the coach to figure out how to use him. That's, that's the number one thing because the guy is, I mean he can score enough to be on the court.

[Esperaheny]

That, yeah, 100% and the innings. What about this is important though, to just ask real quick to follow up because I do think there is something to. He is a guy that shows up on the, on the scouting report and it's not like you, he's oh, the most complicated guy. But at least it's, oh, they have a big guy. We have to play. So if Jokic has a night off, which hopefully Denver can afford that this upcoming year. Yeah. At least the other team has to think, well, okay, but they still have big Val. So we have to go big, we have to box out. We have to do these things and that's just different from a DeAndre Jordan or Zeke Najee.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, yeah, you won't be at a disadvantage. You'll be starting a real like starting caliber center on nights that Yokich has to miss.

[Esperaheny]

Huge upgrade.

[Adam Mares]

Have to talk to you about the Bruce Brown reunion because I know that's something a lot of Nuggets fans are excited about. I know he had like a really strange couple of years in between between injuries in Indiana and Toronto and, and the cowboy hats. He's back though. He's back in his hometown. You know, he's, he's vibing with the hats in Denver. How do you feel about the Bruce Brown acquisition and I guess to tag onto that Tim Hardaway Jr. As well?

[Esperaheny]

Well, I'll start with Tim Hardaway Jr. Because as I've been thinking about who's the big winner of this trade in terms of all these moves, Tim Hardaway Jr. Might be number one. And I think it's because this is a great situation for him. He can shoot the ball, he can run dribble, handoff game and pick and roll game because he can handle a little bit. I think he'll look really good when he gets to play with Nikola Jokic, which is I think going to be quite a bit. So he's a big winner and I'm excited for him. Defensively, there's nobody chasing him. It's not like Denver has a better defensive option, which I think could limit him. So I think he's going to have a great year. The Bruce part is more interesting though to me because part of me thinks two things. You get injured. So his year, his last two years have been a little up and down, but that's injuries in part. But number two, when you're the caliber of player he is, which is probably south of a 20 million a year player, which was what he got, you're given that contract to be traded. He was used to acquire Pascal Siakam. He was used to acquire Brandon Ingram. So in a weird way he actually didn't have a down year. He fulfilled what it was he was designed to do and what he was treated to do. And I don't know that he was ever going to get traction when he was just sort of this rolling stone over the last two years. But that might not be the case. We'll see if he comes back to Denver. I expect him to be phenomenal back in Denver like he was two years ago. For what it's worth, when he was.

[Adam Mares]

Healthy post knee surgery in Toronto and in New Orleans, he actually was really good, like same bounce. Kind of great job as a very much.

[Esperaheny]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

I mean hopefully he's well rested. Guys, stick around. After the break. We're going to get Adam to tell us how the Nuggets compare to the rest of the West. Looking ahead to next season.

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[Dave DeFore]

The Nuggets pushed the eventual champion Thunder to seven games I actually I felt like the Nuggets were the second best team in the west and and a lot of that is because they have Nikola Jokic. She's the best player in the world and he's the ultimate rising Tide with with these moves. I mean it's going to be hard to say that they replaced the Thunder because of course they didn't. But do you put them now in the same tier as the Thunder? I mean the the Thunder were just head and shoulders above everyone else. But do you have the Nuggets on the same tier now?

[Esperaheny]

I do. And a lot of this hinges on whether or not they can keep Valanchunas or replace him with another center. Because I do think that Jokic is so relied upon that if you rely upon him in the same way, that lessens your odds quite a bit. But if we assume Valentunas is there, I do put him in the same tier as Oklahoma City. And it's Oklahoma City will be a very interesting case study next year because while I think they're an incredible team, obviously the champs won 68 games. It feels like, well, they all get older, therefore they will all get better. And I am curious if stylistically they are what they are, if they add other wrinkles to it. So it's possible they surpass my own expectation, but I expect them to be more or less the team they were this year, maybe a little more confident. Whereas Denver, to your point, did take them to seven games. Jokic is a problem for them, caused a lot of problems in the weaknesses that they had, namely lack of depth, last off of the bench, lack of shooting. They resolved both of those issues. So I look at it and I say absolutely. I think Denver, if they keep Valanchunas, I will have them in tier one of my NBA contenders.

[Adam Mares]

I like that. I like that take and we talked about it on our live show about where Nuggets and Rockets kind of compare to what the Thunder are doing. A lot of that is on how the depth pans out for Denver and if those guys can actually be rotation players for you in the regular season. I think generally when you look at what Denver has done, especially against OKC in that matchup, it's they found a blueprint, a recipe to make things annoying for a team that won 68 games. That might be something that other teams try to replicate, but it's also like they're a good matchup for Denver. Just like how Minnesota feels pretty comfortable facing off against the Nuggets in certain matchups. I don't know if that necessarily still applies with Julius Randle, but generally they feel pretty comfortable. They're like, yeah, we like our chances. Do you think there is now a blueprint to how Denver can match up with OKC if they end up facing in the playoffs next season?

[Esperaheny]

Well, I think it's going to will look if every both teams are healthy. I think it would look a lot like this series did, which is that it would be ugly. It would slow down. You know, Oklahoma City did have one game where they really opened it up and put up I think 149 points. But the rest of the games, you know, it was a bit of a struggle. And I think one of the reasons that it's a struggle for Oklahoma City is they thrive on pressuring the ball and they thrive on turnovers turning into fast breaks. When you play through Jokic, he had turnovers often trying to force it to non shooters and everybody collapsing. But it's not like he's turning the ball over because of pressure or this or that.

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

[Esperaheny]

Denver has the ability to kind of negate their biggest weapon, which is that we're going to speed them up by getting into him. You throw it into Yokich and all of a sudden that's tough. That will remain. What will change is there's extra shooters. You remember Michael Porter could not make a shot last year in the, in that series and Jamal Murray was the only other shooter. They didn't have anyone else this year they'll have Tim Hardaway Jr. Cam Johnson, Bruce Brown. They'll have some options there. Julian Strother perhaps. And I, I just think it'll make for a really fun matchup. I don't think Denver's better than Oklahoma City, but I do think that they'll be right there with them?

[Dave DeFore]

Well, I mean, we also saw that the Thunder have a little bit of sustainability issue offensively, right? Like, yeah, something like 20 points come off turnovers. So when you're, when you have a guy like Yic, I mean, you look at what the Pacers just were able to do, pushing them seven games, just limit that, that transition scoring from them, and, and they get into some. To some tough spots. What about the Rockets? Do they worry you at all? I mean, they, they've got so many guys that they could throw at Jokic in a theoretical matchup. Kevin Durant obviously is a shot maker.

[Esperaheny]

Who I really wish he would have.

[Dave DeFore]

Tried to force his way to Denver somehow. I don't know how they would have been a fun, but it would have been. It would have been a lot of fun. But do they worry you in the West?

[Esperaheny]

For sure. I think they're the other team that I have in tier one. And by the way, that's an either conference. No disrespect to the Eastern Conference, but I think those are the three best teams. No, that's valid. So I do think that Houston is a concern. I think Denver matches up maybe a little bit better with them. Amen. Thompson, to me, is the big swing factor there. I'm as high on him as I think anybody on earth. I just think that guy's incredible. And when we talk about teams that have struggle or had made Denver struggle, Minnesota's defense, all this, we talk about, oh, they're front corps. They have guys that can bother him. Jokic, I think he's the only player to put up 35 points against Oklahoma City's defense. Last year he did it three times, twice in the playoffs. I think he solves those, those equations. You talk about Minnesota, one of his best games ever, Game five last year in that playoffs. But he's had success against it. The real slowdown for Denver is what you do to Jamal Murray, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels. To kill Alexander Walker really gave him problems. Lou Dort, Cason Wallace and everybody else that they can throw at you. So that doesn't change. And then when you go to Houston, Amen. Thompson represents. Can he shut down Jamal Murray in a series? If you. If the answer to that is yes, then yes, they're going to make things very difficult for Denver. If the answer is that's only one guy and he'd have to be out of position, then I think Denver would handle him.

[Adam Mares]

So expectations are to be a championship contender next season. Anytime you have Nikola Jokic, you have Championship level, you know, kind of expectations. What has to go right for this team to be in that position. April, May, June.

[Esperaheny]

Well, first of all, I'll just say this because I know, you know, every time you have a guest on, they're always a little bit higher on the team they cover than everybody else. I want to get in front of this.

[Dave DeFore]

Last year we're talking about the Raptors, in which case.

[Esperaheny]

Way worse on them. Yeah, last year I thought it was going to be very tumultuous for Denver. I picked 51 wins and I said there's possible they're going to be a five, six or seven seed. They ended up a four seed by courtesy of tiebreakers, and they won 50 games. So this is not something where every year I'm just. So Denver's better this or that. I was low on them last year. I think they're very talented. This year, what has to go? Well, Jamal Murray has never come into the season ready to go. He always starts slow. And what that costs you is a couple. A couple things. Number one, Jokic has to carry the team even more minutes more earlier in the year and all throughout the year. And then number two, some of the bench issues, in my opinion, come down to Jamal Murray. Your second player should carry your bench. And when you have young guys like Peyton Watts and Julian Strother, their lives are made easier when you have a guy that is carrying the load for him. So Jamal Murray has to come in and have a career season, no questions asked. And then number two, it's Peyton Watson, Denver. As much as I like their depth, defensively, they're not that deep. Bruce Brown, guard perimeter, Christian Brown, Aaron Gordon, Duron Holmes or Zeke Najee. Maybe question marks. Maybe they add. Peyton Watson, to me, is the only guy who guards the players in the gap between who Christian Brown guards and Aaron Garden guards. Those players are guys like Kevin Durant, Shay Gil, just Alexander, your scoring guards in the West. And if he is not up to snuff like he wasn't this year, I don't think ready to be that guy. He has to take a leap this season for Denver to win it. And if he doesn't, I just think there'll be one defender shy.

[Dave DeFore]

You know, the other thing that Jamal Murray coming in out of shape does for this team, it honestly, it punts a little bit of this continuity and chemistry that you're coming into the year. You're getting rid of an advantage because you are a worse player. And they could be banking wins before Christmas. We know how important it is the first, you know, two months of the season. And so this was a, a 50 win team last year that didn't, didn't really have its footing under them and look like a normal basketball team because Jamal Murray didn't look like he was in shape until much later and then he got hurt, you know, again, before the playoffs. This is the other thing with him.

[Esperaheny]

It's.

[Dave DeFore]

It's the physical conditioning that leads into the health that leads into the physical conditioning. And so, you know, the hope is that this is the year, right? Like, is it going to be the year? I mean, I don't know.

[Esperaheny]

I mean, I'm done expecting it. You know, this is like, I was looking at the Clippers roster and I like the moves they made, and I'm like, at some point I have to stop pretending they're going to win it. So the Clippers, that's how I feel with Jamal Murray being in shape. At some point, I have to stop saying, is this the year? When he does it, it'll be great if he does it. But to me, it's absolutely one of the prerequisites for Denver. He has to be healthy all year, and for him to be healthy, he needs to probably be in the best shape of his life.

[Adam Mares]

Is there anybody else in the west that you kind of look at, like, you know, you mentioned the Clippers.

[Esperaheny]

I just mentioned the Clippers. And again, it's funny because it's the Clippers, like, they keep. They do this to us every year. But I do like the moves they made in their front court. I think it's very interesting. Golden State, I feel like something's. There's a shoe waiting to drop there. But I am one of the people that bought Golden State as a true contender. When healthy, they just happen to not be healthy. I'll tell you another one, and this is my last take, I guess, about all these teams in the West. I think it is harder than ever to make it through 82 games and four rounds of the playoffs. And so when we talk about, do they have a chance to do it? I think the health question, we just kind of. It's like an act of God. There's something to this. Another thing about Houston. Can Kevin Durant make it through four rounds of the playoffs? They're excruciating. Every team lost them. Half the teams lost guys in catastrophic fashion. Not just a torn ankle, big injuries. And so I think that's part of it. So when I look at Golden State, I look at the Clippers and even a little bit Houston. It is one of the questions I have if they could beat anyone, but can they beat everyone? That'll be tough.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. Well, thanks Adam for hanging out guys. Go and check him out. He does the All NBA Podcast with Tim Legler. It's a great show that covers the entire NBA and obviously covers the nuggets at dnvr. I'm going to see you in Vegas here in a couple days. For Adam Mares and Esperaheni, I'm Dave Dufour and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.

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