Bruce Brown is in his second season with the Denver Nuggets, though those seasons haven't been consecutive. 

Brown first joined the Nuggets in their championship-winning 2022-23 season before going on a bit of a rollercoaster ride through the NBA, playing for three different teams in two seasons before rejoining the Nuggets ahead of this season. 

That hiatus from Denver gives Brown the unique perspective of seeing how the Nuggets have changed since they became NBA champions and in the midst of their successful run where they've won five of their last six games, he's liking what he sees. 

"I would say we're a deeper team. We have trust in everybody out there. Everybody's ready to hoop and then when I left, the guys who were coming in and making a difference were here. They're used to the offense, used to the players. Everybody got a lot better," Brown said (via Nuggets).

Some of the most notable additions to the Nuggets roster this season compared to Brown's last appearance with the team have been players like Tim Hardaway Jr., Jalen Pickett and Spencer Jones. 

Hardaway Jr. signed with the Nuggets this season on a minimum salary contract looking for a career resurgence and by all metrics it looks like he's found one. Primarily a solid bench piece and role player, Hardaway Jr. is the fourth-best scorer on the squad, averaging 13.8 points per game while shooting 45.9% from the field.

Hardaway Jr. has provided much-needed depth and versatility to the Nuggets' bench with his ability to switch between guard and forward roles and his presence on the squad can adjust matchups and free up head coach David Adelman to play around with different rotations. 

Pickett is another well-rounded addition to the squad. Drafted in 2023, Pickett has been another versatile bench piece that at times has risen to the occasion when called upon.

Considering the massive amount of injuries the Nuggets have suffered this season, especially to Christian Braun and at times, Jamal Murray, Pickett has found himself called up to start eight games this season when he likely expected to be in a full-season bench role. 

He impressed in those eight games with an average of 11.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Pickett's ability to show up in unexpected and unfortunate circumstances is a testament to both his own readiness and the Nuggets' depth that Brown spoke about. 

Jones may be the most valuable and reliable of the Nuggets' additions since their championship season. In just his second season, Jones has started 25 games and worked his way into the starting five at this moment while the Nuggets suffer from a lack of depth with both Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas out. 

Jones is averaging 6.1 points this season, but the real strength that he brings to the team is his defense and like Hardaway, his versatility, being able to switch between either forward roles as need be. 

The Nuggets have been one of the most injury-stricken teams in the NBA this season and despite that, they're tied for the second-best record in the tough Western Conference and clearly on the rise and that ability to thrive in difficult circumstances is proof of not only their improvement as a team, but the extent of their depth.