Where Nuggets Really Stand at the Midseason Mark

And what if the unthinkable happens and you lose a generational talent like Nikola Jokic? Any expectation remaining would sink like a big, fat gold nugget. Winning would just be a luxurious fluke, right?

And then suppose the utterly insane and improbable happens and you lose your fifth starter—Jamal Murray—and you only have nine players available for a game. How do you compete?

Nuggets battle through the unthinkable

Well, this is neither hypothetical nor hyperbole. This is hypostasis—the hard facts. And yet, Denver is 28-13 overall, second in the West and third in the entire NBA, with the association’s best road record at 17-7. Since losing Jokic on December 29, the team has implausibly gone 6-3. Not only that, but the Nuggets pulled off their best—and most unlikely—win of the season with an overtime thriller against a healthy Philadelphia 76ers team, in Philly no less, and all without a single starter.

These Mile High Marauders keep finding ways to win. The lineups, the matchups, the camaraderie, the bench depth, and the junkyard dog attitude have made this team special during what could have been a steep slide.

Head coach David Adelman put it best: “I don’t care if it’s ugly or we score 130—it doesn’t matter. We’re just trying to find whatever the equation is that night. Just find a way. Play in a way the game demands you to play to continuously win. We’ve done that so far.” Yes, you have, Coach.

Adelman continues to surprise everyone—everyone but his players, that is. They know he will always put them in the best position to compete and win games, and perhaps even shine. Just ask recent NBA Western Conference Player of the Week Peyton Watson. During games played through January 12—a stretch with a shorthanded and Joker-less team—Watson averaged 22.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists over 10 games, including a 31-point explosion against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Everyone’s getting game time. Everyone’s getting experience. And that will only help come mid-April. Like Aaron Gordon said about the bench players’ extensive reps: “When the moment comes, the moment won’t be too big.”

The Nuggets have already shocked the NBA for not only staying afloat but thriving without Jokic. Now, they have a chance to truly take over the league in the second half of the season.