The Denver Nuggets are NBA champions for the first time in franchise history, vanquishing the Miami Heat in the 2023 NBA Finals 4-1 to capture that ring. The Nuggets were the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and were marvelous on their Finals run, losing just one home game in the entire postseason.
The Nuggets have a two-time MVP who missed out on a three-peat but got the Finals MVP in Nikola Jokic. Jokic was an unlikely candidate to become this type of player as a second-round pick, but he’s now entrenched as the centerpiece of Denver’s roster. Jokic is locked in on a long-term contract and is now entering his prime at 28. Jamal Murray recovered from an ACL injury to become a true second star, averaging 26.1 points and 7.1 assists per game in the playoffs while shooting 39.6% from deep. Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon struggled in the Finals, but both are long-term pillars in the starting lineup. In short, the core group is not going anywhere.
The obvious question ahead for the Nuggets is how many titles they can go on to win, and whether they can become the NBA’s next dynasty.
There is only one precedent for a small market team becoming a dynasty. The San Antonio Spurs won four championships from 1999-2007, adding a fifth title in 2014 with largely the same core from those previous four. Going seven years between titles is unprecedented, but the Nuggets do have some important similarities to the Spurs.
The first is that both teams were built around a generational big man. The Spurs had Tim Duncan, a Hall of Famer who won back-to-back MVPs in the midst of that initial title run. The Nuggets have Jokic, who is a two-time MVP himself entering his prime. The Spurs had Tony Parker, a point guard who eventually became a Finals MVP. Murray could be that point guard for Denver. Manu Ginobili had the talent to be the best player in a series, which Porter Jr. possesses. Bruce Bowen was the team’s best perimeter defender, which is something Gordon has the ability to become in the coming seasons.
Duncan, Parker and Ginobili won their first title together in 2003. Duncan was 26, Ginobili was 25 and Parker was 20. Bowen was 31. The Nuggets are slightly older but not far off from this group. Entering the summer, Jokic 28, Murray is 26, Porter Jr. is 24 and Gordon is 27. The window is there.
Of course, there are some hurdles to Denver’s dynasty taking shape. Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, two important role players on the 2023 title team, will be free agents. Green could retire, but Brown will have a market in free agency. Will Nuggets ownership be willing to spend to keep the group largely whole? Christian Braun showed enough promise in the playoffs to see a bigger role next season and he could make up some of the difference, but the Nuggets saw how important Brown was for the bench unit. The new CBA introduces a second luxury tax apron, which the Nuggets will come close to hitting. That apron has harsher penalties and limits how teams can fill out the roster. The Golden State Warriors, a modern homegrown dynasty the Nuggets can look at, are facing a similar problem.
Denver’s draft pick chamber isn’t exactly as clean as San Antonio’s. The Spurs largely stashed their guys abroad, but the Nuggets have obligations to other teams for the trades they’ve made. Adding first-round picks on cost-controlled contracts and seeing them develop has been Denver’s way, as the Jokic-Murray-Porter Jr. trio is a homegrown one. However, they might not have that same capability going forward.
There are also injuries to worry about. Jokic has been largely durable in his career, but both Murray and Porter Jr. have dealt with major injuries. This is one of the few playoff runs where both have been healthy. Hopefully, things can stay that way for both players.
The Nuggets enter next season as the favorites to win the NBA championship at DraftKings Sportsbook. They have a young core locked into the roster for at least the next two seasons at the moment, and they’ll surely extend Murray if he has another postseason like this. We could be seeing the modern version of the 2000s Spurs dynasty starting in the Mile High City exactly 20 years later.