![]() ![]() Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has 13 playoff games under his belt, Lu Dort has 7, and Isaiah Joe has participated in 11. For this OKC Thunder team, the experience is not there yet. Nikola Jokic played 68 playoff games before hoisting that Larry O’Brien Trophy. Patience is vital in life and basketball. ![]() After just nine games, Porter Jr was sidelined in the 2021-22 season. Michael Porter Jr, who only fell to Denver in the 2018 draft due to concerns about his back coming out of college, missed his entire rookie year with a back injury. Speaking of adversity, part of the reason the Nuggets were not a microwave success was due to Jamal Murray missing all of last year with a Torn ACL and only playing in 48 games of the 2020-21 season. Things happen, mistakes are made, and you have to go through battles. This year, they went from a first-round exit to NBA Champions. ![]() Just last season, the Nuggets took such a step back on the staircase of success they were ousted in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. After that, they reached the Conference Finals before being bounced in the second round the following year. These things happen, even at the top.Ĭircling back to win totals, once the Nuggets finally broke through in year four to make the NBA Postseason, Malone and Jokic made it to the second round in their first go around. There were mistakes and misses along the way for the Nuggets’ front office, which is now lofted as one of the best in the sport. Most recently, Bones Hyland seemed to be a promising player for Denver before a messy ending forced the Championship organization to give him away for almost nothing. With one of their three first-round picks in the 2016 Draft, Denver grabbed Juancho Hernangomez over the likes of Pascal Siakam, Dejounte Murray, Malcolm Brogdon, and even Caris LeVert. They selected Emmanuel Mudiay over Devin Booker. Along the way, one of the most respected front offices made mistakes and dealt with adversity.įor as good as the roster is in Denver, the team traded away Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell on trade night. The Nuggets did not make the playoffs until year four of the Jokic and Malone marriage. Denver then finished with the following win totals on their way to a Title this year: 40, 46, 54, 46, 47, 48, and 53. That year, the Nuggets hired Michael Malone, and the team went 33-49. Jokic did not come to the NBA until the 2015-16 season, and it has not been all sunshine and rainbows since. Though, drafting the Serbian Superstar was not some cheat code for the Nuggets. That is rare and will likely never be seen again, but it happened. The Nuggets drafted Nikola Jokic with the 41st pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, a brilliant stroke of luck that led to five All-Star and All-NBA appearances, along with two MVP awards en route to a Championship. ![]() The OKC Thunder can learn a valuable lesson from the Denver Nuggets as Jokic and company hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.Īs we get lost in the MVP talk, the real sticking point around why Denver was able to pull off a Title run is the patience they have shown throughout this process. An awe-inspiring feat, but when you wash away the records, stats, wins, and play style, this can all be boiled down to Patience. The Nuggets lost just four playoff games this season, turning in a 16-4 record since April 16th. What did the OKC Thunder learn from the Champion Nuggets?ĭenver dominated most of the season before coasting to the Finish line post-All-Star break on their way to 53 wins. A small market team has won the NBA Title, the fifth new Champion in as many years, a possible sign that there is a new age of parody in the Association that many have clamored for. The Denver Nuggets have captured their first NBA Championship in one of the more impressive postseason runs, especially from Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. ![]()
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