The Nuggets have five more years to maximize the Jokic era
Sep 26, 2024, 10:51 AM
There’s been a lot of talk this offseason about the Nuggets championship window. Just one year removed from the franchise winning their first-ever NBA title, the conversation has shifted to whether or not Denver was a one-hit wonder.
It’s been a topic of conversation locally, heating up after the Nuggets attempt to defend their title ended in disappointment with a Game 7 loss on their homecourt to the Timberwolves in the second round. And it’s even become a talking point on the national stage as another NBA season looms.
"[The Nuggets] have run out of time with cheaper contracts. … The pressure has now arrived." ✍️ @WindhorstESPN on if Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray and the Nuggets' championship window has closed 👀 pic.twitter.com/WjVEFwR0bv
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 19, 2024
Nikola Jokic has won the league’s Most Valuable Player award in three of the last four seasons. During that stretch, the Nuggets did win a championship, hosting the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2023. But in the other three seasons, they’ve failed to advance beyond the second round.
Now, they’re dealing with key roles players departing. First, it was Bruce Brown and Jeff Green a year ago. This offseason, it was Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
That has many wondering if the Nuggets best chances to win a title are already in the rearview mirror. Their general manager certainly doesn’t think so.
“Nikola has a prime, 10-year contention window,” Calvin Booth said on Thursday, talking about the timespan Denver has to win with their best player playing at his highest level. “I think we’re about halfway through it.”
That means the clock is ticking. The window opened when the Nuggets advanced to the Western Conference Finals in the bubble. In a lot of ways, that feels like yesterday. It means they’re running out of opportunities to maximize having Jokic on the roster.
“We probably have about five more shots,” Booth added. “All those shots count.”
The Nuggets head coach certainly know that fact. And he’s anxious to get take advantage of the situation.
“They tasted what it was like to be on the mountaintop,” Michael Malone said about his team. “We were knocked off last year, so let’s get back up.”
If Denver can do that, the coach believes the Nuggets can achieve greatness. Malone doesn’t see failing to win back-to-back titles as a knock of his team’s legacy.
“Everybody wants to repeat, but (San Antonio) never did that,” the coach said, citing the Spurs never winning consecutive titles while winning five championships during a 15-year run of greatness. “They had a standard of excellence, year in and year out. You ask anybody in the NBA community and they’ll say, ‘San Antonio definitely had a dynasty.’ You want to be remembered as a team that achieved greatness.”
Malone is thinking big. Booth is more tempered in his expectations.
“If we hit one of them, it’s great,” the GM said about taking advantage of the five title shots remaining in the Jokic era. “It’s going to be incredibly hard to win another one.”
Were the Nuggets a one-hit wonder or a team for the ages? The next five years will answer that question.
