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By Anne Erickson
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The Denver Nuggets enter the season facing a kind of weird question: Is Nikola Jokic enough to keep them in the race for a championship?
He really is, but there are of course doubts. For years, as long as Jokic was healthy and playing at an MVP level, Denver always had a chance. But the rest of the league hasn't stood still, and the Nuggets' offseason didn't exactly send a message that they were ready to make a major run back toward the top.
Jokic can't do it all. At least the Nuggets made some changes, though. The biggest addition was Tyus Jones, who brings exactly the kind of steady point guard play that can help a team settle down. Jones is smart with the ball, rarely puts his team in bad situations and can take some pressure off Jokic when the offense starts to become too dependent on one player.
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But, beyond that, though, Denver stayed relatively off the radar. Maybe that was the right way to go, but we'll see.
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As for other players, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas both moved on after spending one season with the team, and Peyton Watson remains a restricted free agent. Those aren't moves that completely reshape a roster, but they do leave Denver with fewer options around its superstar.
That's kind of where the concern starts. The Nuggets are only a few years removed from winning the 2023 championship, but the roster around Jokic has slowly changed since then. The team has lost key contributors. Meanwhile, teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are getting younger and deep.
Denver's biggest advantage is still the best player in basketball. Jokic has proven time and time again that he can elevate almost any lineup, and counting out a team with him on the roster is usually a mistake.
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But, even Jokic needs help. The Nuggets will need young players to take another step, veterans to provide stability and the front office to find ways to improve the roster as the season unfolds.
Denver still can win a championship, for sure. The question is whether it has enough around Jokic to build another real run.
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