The Denver Nuggets are looking to get back to even the Western Conference Finals after failing to get out of the second round in each of the past three seasons since they won the NBA Championship in 2023.

The Nuggets are coming off a disappointing playoff run last year, losing in six games to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round despite being favored as the third seed.

The Timberwolves lost starters Donte DiVincenzo and Anthony Edwards in the series, making the Nuggets’ failure to advance even more suspect.

The offseason didn’t bring about any big changes, though they lost key bench contributors Peyton Watson, who had a breakout season and started many games due to injuries but missed the playoffs due to his own injury, and Tim Hardaway Jr., who was a Sixth Man of the Year candidate. They also lost backup centerJonas Valanciunas

They added Marvin Bagley III, DeMar DeRozan, and Alpha Diallo to help offset those bench losses.

There is a lot of doom and gloom around the Nuggets after last season’s playoff performance, but they still have Nikola Jokic.

He may no longer be considered the best player in the world with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s recent success and Victor Wembanyama’s rise, but he is the best offensive engine in the world and elevates everyone around him.

The starting lineup was disappointing in the playoffs, thanks in part to an injury to Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray failing to get going, but they were still one of the best starting lineups in the league last season with a +12.9 net rating.

If Gordon is healthy and Murray is able to replicate his 2023 run, the Nuggets have the offensive firepower that should scare any team in the West.

Health is key for any team, but especially this Denver team, as they seem to fall apart if Gordon isn’t 100%.

Even if he is 100%, they’re still not quite on the level of the San Antonio Spurs or the Oklahoma City Thunder as both teams have enough offense and defenses that are on a completely different level than what the Nuggets bring to the table.

As good as the Denver offense is, the playoffs are about grinding defensive games, and the Nuggets haven’t proven they can hang with those types of teams in the past three seasons, losing twice to the Timberwolves and once to the Thunder.

Unless something drastically changes on defense, this group still isn’t good enough in that area.