30 days/30 teams: Denver Nuggets

After a strange season, marked by the firing of coach Mike Malone and general manager Calvin Booth at the end of the regular season, then elimination during Game 7 of the conference semifinals against the eventual champion Thunder, Nuggets were activated during the off-season to offer more options for Nikola Jokic.

Often frustrated, especially in terms of financial investment, Michael Porter Jr. thus packed his bags in the direction of Brooklyn, to enable the arrival Cameron Johnson solid at both ends of the court.

Left in search of the dollars the club couldn’t offer him after the title, Bruce Brown returns to the Rockies after getting lost in Toronto and New Orleans. Tim Hardaway Jr. etc Jonas Valanciunas he’s also arrived to provide shooting and size under the rim, two things Denver lacked at times last season when the hitting rotation was reduced.

As Denver’s new leadership made clear, the goal was clearly to build a group of players who speak the same basketball as Nikola Jokic, and therefore can benefit from his vision of the game. We know that’s already the case with Bruce Brown, and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be the case with Cameron Johnson, a cerebral player with always sharp and interesting analysis.

With Nikola Jokic at the top of his game, Jamal Murray in good form, and a tighter group that offers more solutions to David Adelman, who has a head full of ideas, the Nuggets have all the weapons to be the Thunder’s main threat in the Western Conference. And thus regain his throne, three years later?

SUMMER MOVEMENTS

arrivals: Bruce Brown (Pelicans), Tim Hardaway Jr. (Pistons), Cameron Johnson (Nets), Jonas Valanciunas (Kings)

Departures: Michael Porter Jr. (Nets), Dario Saric (Kings)

PLAYER TO WATCH: CAMERON JOHNSON

Obviously, the entire architecture of this team rests on Nikola Jokić, but the Serbian pivot is a metronome, who misses several matches and always finds a way to make the expected impact. Jamal Murray’s physical form, and his ability to make a difference at the end of games, will also always be essential for the Nuggets.

But for Denver to win another title, the improvements will have to be noticeable here. Christian Brown’s progress can help, but it’s primarily the level of Cameron Johnson, drafted in to replace Michael Porter Jr. in the Colorado franchise’s starting five, that can make the difference…

The former Suns and Nets will also bring an outside shot, even if he is less greedy on the court than his predecessor, and David Adelman, on the contrary, encourages him to overcome this shyness, and this desire to integrate by rejecting the shots he must take, for the good of the team. While “MPJ” is a more instinctive player who brings more size and presence, Cameron Johnson is smarter, a better passer and a better collective linker. Even if he has to find his place in this group already in place.

On paper, he may even be in better form than his predecessor, especially defensively, where there are fewer absences, especially away from the ball. But that remains to be seen on the field, especially in the playoffs.

Average age: 27.6 years

Payroll: $204.1 million (11th)

IDEAL SCENARIO

With an aligned organizational chart and abandoning Calvin Booth’s strategy of mainly developing young players in favor of more experienced players, Nikola Jokic is happier than ever.

Above all, with the return of Bruce Brown and the arrival of Tim Hardaway Jr., Jonas Valanciunas and even Cameron Johnson, David Adelman has many more keys on his keyboard to navigate the regular season and best approach the playoffs. Without having to exhaust your frames in the jungles of the West…

The Nuggets therefore come into the postseason in an ideal position, with a dazzling duo of Jokic/Murray, and an army of complementary players enabling the Nuggets to win their second title in four years.

WORST SCENARIO

With Jamal Murray remaining AC, especially on a physical level, the Nuggets don’t really have an advantage over the other big teams in the West, and the marathon regular season is taking its toll.

The return of Bruce Brown and the addition of Cameron Johnson do not sufficiently fill the defensive void left by the departure of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. David Adelman’s team still lacks players capable of dealing with the opposition’s best ball carriers, and remains scrappy, even against weaker opponents.

Forced to fight until the end of the regular season to try to snatch the home team’s first-round advantage in a still-deadly Western Conference, Nikola Jokic and his group end up with no more difference than before. Under these conditions, it is impossible for “Joker” and his teammates to regain the new title.

It’s enough to doubt the three-time MVP, who is starting to question his future and is slowly getting extended…