In the last few years, fans have watched as Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has risen to the top and solidified his legacy as one of the best centers in the NBA. Jokic led the Nuggets to their first championship in franchise history. However, since their championship season, the Nuggets have had to let go of many key pieces.
This offseason, fans again witnessed the Nuggets lose a few key players without making any significant improvements. Many NBA stars and analysts have criticized the management decisions that have seemingly wasted Jokic’s prime. Recently, former NBA star Gilbert Arenas shared his thoughts on the recent state of the Nuggets on his podcast.
If I’m the coach, I’m a little concerned because, as the champs two years ago, we didn’t get better last year, right? And then we lost some key pieces that helped us. Yeah, we brought in some new pieces, but I don’t think they’re valuable enough.
Gilbert Arenas via The Gils Arena
Gilbert Arenas discussed how losing crucial role players like Bruce Brown and Jeff Green has impacted the team. Both Brown and Green played a vital role in the Nuggets championship victory in 2023. Arenas also expressed concerns that the players who have replaced them might not have the same impact on the team. Additionally, Arenas highlighted the lack of shooters surrounding Jokic and how this could hurt the team’s performance.
Overall, Arenas believes that even though Nikola Jokic is in his prime, the Nuggets as a whole do not present a formidable team as they did during their 2023 run. The Nuggets will certainly encounter a lot of competition in a tough Western Conference and will face an uphill battle.
NBA insider David Aldridge shows concerns about the Nuggets offseason moves
The Nuggets management has faced criticism for making poor off-season moves. One of the biggest losses the team suffered was Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s departure. KCP, their best perimeter defender, played an important role during their championship run. Veteran NBA insider, David Aldridge recently expressed his concerns about the Nuggets’ decisions.
On the Bill Simmons podcast, Aldridge discussed how the CBA rules have affected teams, especially the Denver Nuggets. Aldridge pointed out that Michael Porter Jr‘s contract extension paved the way for KCP’s departure from the team. Aldridge also noted that the Nuggets’ decision to sign expensive players has led to the departure of key role players. The combination of these high contracts has resulted in significant changes to the team’s roster, according to Aldridge.
They gave Michael Porter that contract in 2021. Look they won a championship with Michael Porter Jr., so it wasn’t a bad contract. Doing that contract along with Jokic contract hamstrung them in terms of them being able to keep KCP.
David Aldridge via Good Word with Goodwill
Further, Aldridge expressed great concerns about the Nuggets as they enter the next season. Although Aldridge acknowledged that the Nuggets still have Jokic, he emphasized that the team will be heavily affected in the next season due to the loss of their key role players.
