Denver Nuggets
Current Record: 9-1
Standings: 1st in Division, 2nd in Conference
The up-and-coming Denver Nuggets narrowly missed the playoffs last season, and are clearly out with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove. Their clear message so far this season has been that they’re no longer fooling around – they’re bound and determined to be a playoff team this year.
I’m certain they’ll come back down to earth to some degree at some point, but there’s no denying Denver’s exhilarating start. They’ve gotten off to the surprisingly effective kind of start that Jazz fans hoped to see out of their own team. The Nuggets look like the West’s darlings right now, and though they’ll have their work cut out for them to continue to meet these newfound high expectations, they’ve shown no sign of slowing up just yet.
The lone blemish on their record was a close loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Beyond that, they’ve beat some extremely talented teams including the Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics and New Orleans Pelicans, and of course handed the Golden State Warriors their lone loss of the season. Nikola Jokic is proving himself as one of the most well-rounded big men in the league. Jamal Murray and Gary Harris look like one of the most prolific backcourts in the Association. And, now healthy, Paul Millsap is fitting like a glove as the team’s stable and reliable veteran.
The most surprising and encouraging thing about the Nuggets so far has been their defense. A notoriously poor defensive team in recent seasons, Denver has turned that around completely so far this year as they sit at third in the league in defensive rating. Their dedicated efforts on that end of the floor have been stifling, to say the least.
The Denver Nuggets are no joke, and certainly appear to be putting things together ahead of schedule. Obviously, there’s no way I expect them to keep up their .900 win percentage pace all year long. However, I think a playoff spot is a near certainty, and the division title could very well be within their reach as well.
That’s not to say they’ll get there – I’d say the one through four spots in the Northwest Division are very much all up for grabs and will be closely contested, but expect Denver to be in the thick of things both in the conference and division.