This season has been a story of resilience for the Denver Nuggets. 

They've scarcely played at full strength, with at least one if not more of their starters out for weeks at a time with injuries throughout the season.

Often, it was Jamal Murray who was the lone healthy man in that original starting five, but often it's been a roster of role players coming off the bench and assuming new roles that stepped up for the team.

Despite all those trials and the deficits in their roster, the Nuggets outlasted. They finished the regular season as the third-seed in the Western Conference and now they're getting ready to face their rival the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. 

Everything the Nuggets have endured and outlasted has led to them to this moment and Tim Hardaway Jr. believes their struggles throughout the season have prepared them for any kind of struggle.

"If we don't feel battle-tested right now, I don't know what we're doing," Hardaway Jr. said. "With so many guys injured, guys stepping in and stepping up. Holding the fort, keeping the ship afloat. We should be ready and we should be privileged as well. Especially having all of our guys back and healthy."

The Nuggets are near full-strength now. After resting the majority of their starters in the final game of the regular season, they should be able to expect their full starting five on the court against Minnesota.

While apprehensions remain around the health of Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun, who have had the most lingering injury concerns of any of their major players, they should still be expected to be major pieces of the first playoff series. 

Spencer Jones and Peyton Watson are the biggest question marks on the injury front for Denver at the moment. Jones has been dealing with a hamstring issue that kept him out of the finals weeks of the season and an optimistic outlook projects him to be ready for the playoffs, but that's far from certain. 

Watson's outlook is markedly less optimistic. Watson has been dealing with a hamstring issue of his own and hasn't played a game since April 1.

He could be out much longer than that and there are fears that he at least misses the entire series against the Timberwolves, with no telling how long he'll be out should the Nuggets go deeper into playoffs. 

Missing Watson, who's stepped more than most amidst the Nuggets' injury trouble, is a huge loss loss for Denver. 

It certainly won't be the first time that the Nuggets have had to make do without though, and if this season has taught them anything, it's that they can still be one of the best teams in the NBA no matter who they put on the floor.