Western Conference Power Rankings after week 1 of free agency
By Austin McGee
4. Denver Nuggets
Draft Picks: DaRon Holmes II
Offseason Acquisitions: Dario Saric
Departures: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Reggie Jackson
The lack of salary cap space is beginning to derail the 2023 NBA Champions. An offseason after losing Bruce Brown Jr., the Nuggets lost starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Although his contributions weren't earth-shattering, Caldwell-Pope is the ideal 3-and-D, low-usage guard. He defended the opposing team's best wing and knocked down threes at a high clip.
Replacing Caldwell-Pope won't be easy, but the Nuggets have seemingly been preparing for this moment for some time now. The Nuggets spent draft picks on wings Peyton Watson, Christian Braun, and Julian Strawther.
Amid the madness, the Nuggets' core four remain intact. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and Aaron Gordon are all back to help Denver reach the 50-win plateau. Anyways, rostering Jokic pretty much guarantees a playoff birth.
Like it was mentioned in the second paragraph, the new starting shooting guard and the role players must step up to elevate Denver's potential. If Braun, or whoever else starts isn't capable of knocking down open threes, floor spacing will be an issue.