Earlier this summer, the Denver Nuggets won their first ever NBA championship, defeating the Miami Heat in five games. Nikola Jokic was named NBA Finals MVP, capping off a dominating season in which the Nuggets finished with the third best record in the NBA and best record in the Western Conference (53-29).
While the Nuggets are still basking in their championship glory (as they should), it's never too early to ask whether or not this franchise has what it takes to repeat in 2024. Repeating as NBA champions is never easy, though in the NBA it's certainly a lot more doable than in the other major professional sports. Whenever an NBA team wins a championship, provided the team doesn't completely blow up like the Chicago Bulls did after the 1997-98 season, they have to be considered strong contenders to run it back.
And building off that, unlike that Bulls team, this Nuggets team projects to have all their key pieces back for next season: Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter, Jr., and basically every other key contributor on their team is under contract for next season and beyond. That's important because we already know what this Nuggets team more or less will look like come opening night to start the 2023-24 season.
On top of having all their key pieces back, what I think really bodes well for the Nuggets' chances to repeat is the simple fact that each season they keep getting better. They go deeper and deeper in the playoffs. Sometimes you find out a team has peaked and can't get any better. This Nuggets team isn't like that. They've now gone the distance and knowing they have what it takes, they should be even more confident next season.
Finally, they just have so much depth. Jokic and Murray are a fantastic duo, Jokic playing like the best player on the planet, but in addition, they have really good pieces around them. They share the ball, play unselfishly, and play basketball the right way. They're a team that can win games even when one of their top two players is having an off night.
While it's no guarantee the Nuggets will repeat in 2024, if we are just talking about their odds, they should definitely be the odds on favorite to win it all next year. After years of knocking on the door with no cigar, the Nuggets are now on top of the NBA and could stay on top for a while longer.
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