DENVER, CO – MARCH 15 : Michael Porter Jr. #1 of the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets talk to Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets during the game against the Indiana Pacers on March 15, 2021 at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2021 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
Draft Outlook
ACL tears are devastating, because they don’t just end a player’s season. It can be a full 18 months before that player is fully recovered, so when Jamal Murray tore the ACL in his left knee on April 12, the Nuggets’ ability to contend for a title not just his season but next was compromised. Kia MVP Nikola Jokic, the quickly improving Michael Porter Jr., and coach Michael Malone give the Nuggets a pretty high floor — they ranked in the top 10 on both ends of the floor over the five weeks after Murray’s injury and reached the conference semifinals for a third straight season — but they can’t reach their full potential until Murray is back to 100%.
A Stat That Matters
15 — Nikola Jokic was the only player who ranked in the top 15 in points (12th), rebounds (ninth) and assists (sixth) per game.
The Way To Go
Given who they have under contract, the Nuggets need more help in the backcourt than they do up front. They’ll have to take what they can get at No. 26, but given Murray’s injury, any rookie on the roster should be given a chance to develop with the idea that they want to be at their best in the 2022-23 and ’23-24 seasons.
Under Contract
G: Facundo Campazzo
G: Monte Morris
G: Jamal Murray
G/F: PJ Dozier
F: Vlatko Cancar
F: Aaron Gordon
F: Michael Porter Jr.
F/C: Zeke Nnaji
C/F: Bol Bol
C: Nikola Jokic
Free Agents
G: Will Barton (player option)
G: Shaquille Harrison (restricted)
G: Markus Howard (restricted)
G: Austin Rivers (unrestricted)
F: Paul Millsap (unrestricted)
F/C: JaMychal Green (player option)
C/F: JaVale McGee (unrestricted)
>2021 Free Agent Tracker
Last Year’s Draft
2020: Zeke Nnaji (22)
— John Schuhmann