The Denver Nuggets were one of the biggest winners of his offseason, and guard Julian Strawther likes what he is seeing during training camp. Strawther has been going up against the Nuggets’ starting five, and he declared in his post-practice media session that they have the best lineup in the NBA.
“They look real sharp,” Strawther said. “Looks like they’ve been playing with each other all summer. So, I mean, that’s great. But we know we got the best starting five in the league, and we know that. So, I feel like emphasis is on just being a stronger bench unit for them.”
The Nuggets’ projected starting five is Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic. It certainly is one of the better lineups in the NBA at present.
Jokic is, of course, the star of the show, and he is coming off another outstanding campaign. The 30-year-old averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in 2024-25 to finish runner-up for MVP.
Jokic has finished in the top two in each of the last five seasons and took home the award on three occasions (2021, 2022, 2024). His former teammate, Michael Porter Jr., thinks he could have won five in a row, and he certainly had a case for that. Jokic is widely regarded as the best player in the NBA today, and the Nuggets have surrounded him with some quality pieces.
Gordon emerged as arguably the Nuggets’ second-most important player last season thanks to his efforts on both ends of the floor. He averaged 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2024-25 and came up big in the postseason as well.
Gordon hit two game-winners in the playoffs and rose to the occasion the way a certain Canadian point guard had often done for the Nuggets. That, of course, is Murray, who wasn’t quite at his best last season. He put up 21.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in 2024-25, but was inconsistent throughout the campaign. Time will tell what version we see this time around.
Braun will be Murray’s backcourt partner, and he impressed last season after becoming the full-time starter. The 24-year-old put up 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in 2024-25. Braun is the perfect glue guy for this Nuggets team, and it will be interesting to see just how much he has improved.
Lastly, we get to the new arrival, Johnson. The Nuggets acquired him from the Brooklyn Nets for Porter and their 2032 first-round pick in the offseason. Johnson put up 18.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game for the Nets in 2024-25. He shot 39 percent from three, and a shooter like him is an ideal fit next to Jokic.
That is a fine starting group, but you need a good enough bench, too, to win a championship, and the Nuggets do have one. Jonas Valanciunas, Bruce Brown Jr., and Tim Hardaway Jr. have been brought in to bolster that bench unit, and this looks like a complete team at the moment.
The lack of a good enough bench and the likes of Gordon and Porter dealing with injuries is what cost the Nuggets in the playoffs last season against the Oklahoma City Thunder. They managed to give the eventual champions a run for their money but eventually lost in seven games.
The Nuggets and Thunder now look like the two best teams in the NBA, and it would be fascinating to see a rematch in 2026. It could well prove to be a clash for the ages.
