Last season, the Denver Nuggets kind of slow-played things headed into the playoffs.
The Nuggets went 12–11 after the NBA All-Star break in 2023. Nikola Jokić looked disinterested in winning another MVP. Jamal Murray still seemed to be searching for consistency in his first complete season back from an ACL tear. And then in late April, the team blossomed into a fully functional juggernaut en route to a championship.
That doesn’t seem to be the case this season. And if they weren’t already, the rest of the league should be terrified.