The Denver Nuggets' suddenly bright future

Ever since the Carmelo Anthony trade, Denver has been a franchise stuck in the NBA's dreaded middle class. There have been good seasons (2013's 57 win team) but mostly, many bad ones ending with a lower lottery pick that never moves the needle.

This predicament can become pretty unavoidable when a team is virtually forced to part with a superstar. Look at the Orlando Magic; ever since they traded Dwight Howard in a blockbuster four-team trade, they have been horrible, and only have Aaron Gordon to show for it. The Pelicans, even after losing Chris Paul and drafting Anthony Davis, still stink. The Thunder lost Kevin Durant, and now they are fighting for the 6th seed. Super admirable, but doesn't move the needle. When LeBron left the Cavs, they were awful for four years, and even Kyrie Irving could not lift the franchise back to the promised land by himself.

Point is, when a team splits from a superstar, the only real path to climb back into the contender picture is to find another one, and even that may not be enough.

Easier said than done. There are only a couple of superstars (that's being optimistic) each annual draft, and they are always gobbled up by teams with early picks.

Or are they?

In 2014, supposedly the greatest draft of the decade, while teams were slobbering over Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, Aaron Gordon, Dante Exum, Julius Randle and Marcus Smart as the next superstars, little known Serbian big man Nikola Jokic was snatched up by the Nuggets with the 41st pick. Jokic's selection, a relatively meaningless one in the eyes of ESPN producers, was announced during a Taco Bell commercial on the bottom of the screen. That pretty much showed that everyone thought Jokic would be yet another late round pick European player who is never heard from.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets' "real" prize from the draft was guard Gary Harris, who was taken with the 19th pick. Now in his third year, Harris has proven to be a dependable two guard; he can weave into the paint and knock down jumpers with ease, is honing his playmaking skills and is an underrated defender. Still only 22, Harris has a chance to be a Bradley Beal-like star in this league one day.

Jokic stayed overseas the year he was drafted, then joined the team at the start of the 2015-2016 season. He was not expected to make much of a positive impact since little was heard from him ever since the Nuggets selected him with a pick in the range that usually produces NBA drop-outs. He also looked like a misshapen potato at 250 pounds.

Fast forward to 2017, and the 21-year-old Jokic is now an NBA unicorn, among other rare beasts such as Karl Towns, Joel Embiid and Kristaps Porzingis. Ever since the New Year, Jokic has been punking dudes to the tune of 22 points, 5.5 rebounds and 11.1 rebounds. He is the only player in the league averaging those preposterous numbers besides cyborgs Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

The Nuggets get trounced by 8.5 points per 100 possessions when Jokic is catching a breather (best on the team). The offense pumps out a whopping 115.5 points per 100 possessions when Jokic is out on the court, but plummets to a bottom five offense when the Joker checks out. The man is conducting the league's 8th best offense at only 21 years old. 

Seven long years after the Carmelo trade, the Nuggets have found their next superstar to fuel a title run in the future. Even in the present, the Nuggets are scrapping away, currently holding onto the 8th and final playoff seed in the West. Sure, the team will probably get stomped on by the mighty Warriors immediately, but the high-pressure atmosphere only the playoffs can erect would be valuable experience for all the Nuggets young stars.

Yes, *ALL* the Nuggets' young stars. While Jokic and Harris have been fantastic, it is not just them to be excited about for the future if you are a Nuggets fan. The team is overflowing with assets, both veteran and young.

To start with the "older crew" (ironic, since only Nelson is older than 30), Jameer Nelson, Wilson Chandler, Kenneth Faried, Danillo Gallinari, Mason Plumlee and Darrell Arthur are all rock solid players who possess real value league wide. Chandler and Gallo, valuable combo-forwards, would both easily fetch first round picks if the Nuggets put them up for sale. Arthur is quietly a big who can protect the rim and dabble with a ridiculous 48% from three-point range this year (That's higher than Steph Curry). Arthur is on a team friendly contract and is only 29. He can still be a useful reserve big once the team is seriously ready to contend for a ring. Nelson is still an excellent distributor at 34-years-old and Plumlee is a top-5 passing big man in the league. Faried is still a monster on the boards and only 26. All these players can be sold off for valuable assets or stick around and be a part of the next Nuggets revolution, which will be headed by Jokic, Harris and the boys below.

Getting to the other youthful members of the Nuggets, there is still a handful of talent that is just as skilled, if not more, than the squad the Lakers have put together. This group is just less recognized since, well, they live in Denver while D'Angelo Russell and co. reside in LA. 

The Nuggets' 2016 rookie class features three first rounders, all with star potential. The first is 7th overall pick Jamal Murray, who possesses a silky smooth jump shot, gets buckets and grinds on defense (even though he isn't statistically good yet, which is to be expected from a rookie). There was (and still is) a draft debate over the two best shooting guards: Murray and Hield. Hield, 23 years old, was supposed to be the player more equipped to contribute immediately. 

But looking at their stats, it seems Murray has the slight edge. (Both players play roughly 20 minutes a game.)

Murray: 8.9 points/2.5 rebounds/1.8 assists

Hield: 8.6 points/2.9 rebounds/1.4 assists

Both are already a phenomenal 87% at the free throw line, indicating just how good they are as shooters. And while both stateliness are underwhelming, Murray is averaging more points and assists even though he is only 19 years old while Buddy is the same age as Bradley Beal. This example is not to knock Hield's development (he's going to be good one day), it is to show how far along Murray is already. I think Jamal will be the Nuggets' second best player within a couple of years.

Next is Juancho Hernangomez, brother of Knicks center Willy Hernangomez. While both brothers should turn out to be fine NBA players, Juancho has the higher ceiling. It all started when I saw his twig-like frame go against fully formed bodies at the Summer League. Juancho physically looked like he did not belong out there, but the dude viciously grabbed offensive and defensive boards like his life depended on it. He looked calm with the ball, didn't force anything and just had the "it" factor that showed he understood the game and would be great in due time. Oh, and he's only 21 years old. Zoom forward to a game in early February against the Warriors and Juancho is dropping 27 and 10 on them, including 6-9 from deep. Once his body fills out, I love a Jokic-Hernangomez front court.

Lastly, there is Malik Beasley, a well-built shooting guard who is supposedly a hard worker with a great attitude according to Denver beat writers who talk to him every day. He'e being slept on since he spends most of his time in the D-League, but there is a very good chance the 19-year-old develops into a nice two-way player for the Nuggets.

Add those three with another pair of bouncy guards Emmanual Mudiay and Will Barton, and you have a very interesting team now and into the future.

However, as with any team, there are caveats. Mudiay, drafted 7th in 2015 and now in his second year, is supposed to be the team's point guard of the future. He is shooting a dreadful 37 percent from the field, only averaging 4.2 assists and is only one of three players on the team with a negative net rating. There is a bad track record for point guards who have difficulty knocking down threes in 2017. Scouring the league, point guards such as Rajon Rondo, Ricky Rubio, Elfrid Payton, Reggie Jackson, Kris Dunn and Mudiay are all struggling to succeed due to their busted jumpers. The common theme among those guys is none of them shoot better than 36 percent from deep.

The Nuggets should be dangling Mudiay, still only 20-years-old, in trade talks. And, according to ESPN's Zach Lowe, the team has made him available, a smart move since his value probably will trend downward as he progresses later into his career.

But do not let Mudiay's predicament dampen your Nuggets optimism. In fact, Mudiay is still only a baby by NBA standards. He is super explosive, plays tough defense and teammates seem to like him. There is also a small chance he fixes his broken jumper.

In the meantime, armed with Jokic, Harris, Murray, Hernangomez and many other intriguing young pieces as well as a plethora of useful, sneaky veterans, the Nuggets are trending up in the Mile High City.