NBA: Nuggets add Russell Westbrook at Nikola Jokic’s urging

FILE–Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic during an NBA  preseason game between Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Dokoupil)

Denver Nuggets

Last season: 57-25, lost to Minnesota in second round of playoffs.

COACH: Michael Malone (10th season with Nuggets, 12th overall, 507–398).

SEASON OPENER: Oct. 24 vs. Oklahoma City.

DEPARTURES: G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, G Justin Holliday, G Reggie Jackson.

ADDITIONS: PG Russell Westbrook, PF-C Dario Saric.

BetMGM championship odds: 10-1.

What to expect

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone believes their championship window remains wide open despite their historic Game 7 collapse against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of last year’s playoffs, which assured the NBA of having a new champion for a sixth straight season.

NBA: Russell Westbrook agrees to two-year deal with Nuggets

The Nuggets lost starter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency and, at superstar Nikola Jokic’s urging, signed veteran PG Russell Westbrook, who figures to add some spice to the Nuggets even in a backup role.

Strengths and weaknesses

The good: The Nuggets have the best big man in the game in three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, and they have the premier two-man game in the league when Jamal Murray is rolling. They may have lost KCP but their four returning starters, including Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr., are an eviable foursome. Christian Braun will get first crack at replacing Caldwell-Pope in the starting lineup.

READ: Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic ready to lead Nuggets’ new quest

The not-so-good: The Nuggets don’t exactly light it up from 3-point range and in Westbrook they have added a player who isn’t afraid to let it go from long range but can have stretches of misfires. The Nuggets were thrilled to draft Daron Holmes II out of Dayton as a power forward/center who could take some minutes from Jokic and Gordon to keep them fresh. He hit his first three 3-pointers and was having a spectacular Summer League debut until limping off the court in the fourth quarter with a torn right ACL that required surgery and forces him to miss the 2024-25 season.

Players to watch

While veterans Westbrook and Saric start to fit in, young players hoping to carve out bigger roles this year include Gs Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson and Jalen Picett along with rookie F Spencer Jones.

All eyes will also be on Murray, who had another injury-plagued season in 2023-24 and hit two buzzer-beaters against Los Angeles in the first round of the playoffs before falling apart against the Wolves in a series that featured him throwing a heat pack and a towel at an official. He was a non-factor in Paris for the Canadian Olympic team, this summer but returned to Denver and signed a four-year, $208 million extension in September.