What is the strength of defending champion Denver in the new season? First of all, what is certain is that it is not at a level where we can guarantee a repeat (winning two years in a row).
Last June, the Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals and enjoyed their first championship. This was thanks to the combined efforts of many players, including the best active player, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and Aaron Gordon, who returned from injury.
Denver experienced its first championship in 47 years since joining the NBA in 1976. The next goal will naturally be to defend the championship title. However, Denver’s power in the new season is not perfect. This is because there was a power leak in the offseason.
Bruce Brown, who was the bench ace at the time of the championship, left the team as a free agent. Brown, who became a free agent through opt-out, changed his uniform in just one year by signing a four-year, $45 million contract with Indiana.
In addition, Denver’s bench leak increased as veteran big man Jeff Green also signed a two-year contract worth $16 million.
The key was how to fill the voids of Bruce Brown and Jeff Green. However, Denver did not make any special moves. All they did was renew Reggie Jackson’s two-year contract, renew DeAndre Jordan’s one-year contract, and add Justin Holliday to a one-year contract worth $3.2 million. The remaining moves were all rookie contracts and two-way contracts.
Ultimately, next season Denver will have to play with a weaker bench.
In particular, the absence of Bruce Brown, who was the core of the transition offense and wing line, is bound to be felt greatly. Expectations should be placed on rookie wing resource Christian Brown, who showed impressive performance last season. In Jeff Green’s absence, we can only hope for Zeke Nagy’s efforts.
On the other hand, it is also a situation where Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., who have been restricted from playing time, need to be on the court more. If you’re not careful, it’s a situation that could lead to overuse of the starting pitcher. Therefore, it is not easy to imagine Denver successfully winning the trophy again in the new season.
ESPN panelists voted the most for Denver to win for the second year in a row in a survey released at the end of August selecting candidates for the two major divisions. Denver’s total vote score was 80 points, surpassing both Milwaukee (49 points) and Boston (32 points).먹튀검증
However, in the winning odds of American sports betting companies released on the 16th, Denver and Boston ranked first as the favorites, followed closely by Phoenix and Milwaukee. In other words, it is difficult to imagine a picture like ‘Audden (Denver wins anyway)’.
When Denver should have shouted ‘Win Now’ one more time, they took passive action and were unable to avoid weakening their power. Will Denver be able to keep the championship trophy?
