Recap of the Denver Nuggets’ fantasy basketball season
The reigning NBA champs didn’t repeat, but the Nuggets still enjoyed a great season behind MVP Nikola Jokic and a strong supporting cast. Denver made the playoffs for a sixth straight season, and though their 57-25 record is tied for the best in team history since the merger, the Nuggets finished second in the Northwest Division and second in the Western Conference behind the 57-25 Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Nuggets rolled through their first-round matchup with the Lakers but inconceivably dropped two straight at home to the Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals. Denver won three of the next four to force a Game 7, but Minnesota overcame a 20-point deficit to stun the defending champs at Mile High.
Jokic was a fantasy stud yet again, and Jamal Murray provided useful production when available. The rest of Denver’s starting five was tremendous in total fantasy value thanks to their availability. Where do fantasy managers go from here when evaluating Nuggets players in 2024-25 fantasy drafts? Let’s dive in!
Fantasy Standout: Nikola Jokic
All good things must come to an end, right? Jokic’s streak of seasons finishing as fantasy basketball’s top overall player ended at three at the conclusion of the 2023-24 campaign. The Joker showed that he’s a mere mortal by finishing as fantasy’s third-ranked player on a per-game basis. Not one to fall completely off his pedestal, Jokic was the top overall player in total fantasy value, averaging 26.4 points, 12.4 boards, 9.0 dimes, 1.4 steals, 0.9 blocks and 1.1 triples across 79 appearances. The big man shot 58.3% from the floor and 81.7% from the charity stripe.
Across the board, most of Jokic’s counting stats were the second-best marks of his career, and he added more hardware to his trophy case with a third MVP in four seasons.Jokic has been a top-10 player in totals in seven straight seasons thanks in part to his consistent availability. He has played no fewer than 69 games in all nine of his professional seasons.
In 2023-24, he compiled 25 triple-doubles and passed Jason Kidd and LeBron James for fourth-most on the all-time leaderboard. Jokic is now only eight triple-doubles behind Magic Johnson on that illustrious list. He’s one of only five players to record at least 25 triple-doubles in a single season and one of only three to do it multiple times.
Joker is still in his prime, and his skillset is one that we’ve seen very few times in NBA history. Fantasy managers should have no qualms about drafting him as a top-3 player in 2024-25 fantasy drafts, and he’s got a strong case to be fantasy’s top overall pick yet again.
Fantasy Revelation: Jamal Murray
Availability was a concern for Murray once again, and he appeared in only 59 games in 2023-24. Over the last four seasons, he’s logged 59, 48, 65, and 59 games respectively, missing the entirety of the 2021-22 campaign. Murray finished 43rd in per-game fantasy hoops value, the second-best mark of his career. The Blue Arrow averaged 21.2 points, 4.1 boards, 6.5 dimes, 1.0 steals, 0.7 blocks and 2.5 triples while shooting efficient 48.1/85.3/42.5 splits.
Though Murray enjoyed a productive regular season, he was even more electric in the playoffs. Murray’s playoff highlights included two game-winners in the first round against Los Angeles and a halfcourt heave at the buzzer against Minnesota.
At this point in his career, Murray has shown what he’s going to us each and every year. He’ll post a solid 20/4/5 line with a steal and a couple of three-pointers and shoot efficiently from the floor and the charity stripe. Murray has a top-75 floor and a top-36 ceiling, and availability is the only concern for the steady producer. Fantasy managers should have no problem spending a mid-round pick on him in 2024-25 drafts.
Fantasy Disappointment: Christian Braun
Braun showed promise as a rookie in 2022-23, playing meaningful minutes for a championship-winning team in the regular season and throughout the playoffs. In the summer of 2023, Denver lost Jeff Green (19.5 MPG) and Bruce Brown (28.5 MPG) and didn’t bring in any players of note to fill their roles. Cue Braun… right?
Unfortunately, he didn’t pan out for eager fantasy managers who drafted Braun excitedly as a late-round flyer in 2023-24 drafts. His playing time rose from 15.5 minutes to 20.2, and he appeared in all 82 games, but he averaged just 7.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.4 blocks and 0.8 triples. His efficiency took a hit, and while the counting stats showed an improvement over his Year 1 performance, they certainly weren’t enough to make him viable in 12-team leagues.
Other than Jamal Murray (59 games), Denver’s starting five all played at least 73 games, and every starter averaged better than 31 minutes. Only Braun and Reggie Jackson logged at least 20 minutes per game off the bench, but it was Jackson (82 games) who started when Murray was out. Braun was unable to find significant playing time in Year 2, and that was largely due to the availability of starters and a tight Nuggets rotation. He’ll face similar challenges in 2024-25 and is off the radar in standard leagues for now.
Fantasy Recaps/Look-Aheads
Aaron Gordon: He carried an ADP of 118.4, and Gordon finished as fantasy’s 127th ranked player on a per-game basis. He returned value quite similar to where he was drafted in that regard, but he was far more valuable in totals, finishing 83rd.
Gordon’s skillset isn’t highly diverse. He averaged 13.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.6 blocks and 0.5 triples while shooting 55.6% from the floor and 65.8% from the charity stripe. As with all of Denver’s rotation, Gordon filled his role perfectly, operating as a strong rebounder and defender while catching lobs from his MVP teammate. Gordon finished sixth in the NBA in total dunks with 171.
AG has been a top-140 player in per-game value in each of the last three seasons and a top-100 player in totals in two of them. He’s a steady contributor in rebounds and FG%, and he’ll offer useful production in points, assists and blocks.
Michael Porter Jr.: MPJ provided fantasy managers with another quality showing, posting averages of 16.7 points, 7.0 boards, 1.5 dimes, 0.5 steals, 0.7 blocks and 2.7 triples. The sharpshooter knocked down 48.4% of his shots from the floor and 83.6% of his free-throw attempts. He logged 31.7 minutes per contest and appeared in 81 games, easily the most of his career.
He ranked 71st in per-game fantasy value, finishing inside the top-80 for the second straight season and third time in the last four. Despite the strong regular season, Porter Jr. ended on a sour note, averaging just 6.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.0 triples while shooting 28.6% from the field and 19.0% from three over the final four games of the Western Conference semifinals. MPJ will be just 26 years old next season, and he’s entering his prime. Fantasy managers should expect more of the same from him in Year 6, making him a mid-to-late rounder in 2024-25 drafts.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: He was fantasy’s 101st-ranked player on a per-game basis and 58th in totals, but KCP’s value was derived primarily from his elite contributions in the steals category.
Caldwell-Pope averaged 10.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.6 triples while shooting 46.0% from the floor and 89.4% from the charity stripe. He wasn’t terribly harmful in any one category, further buoying his fantasy stock. KCP logged 31.6 minutes across 76 appearances, and he’s appeared in at least that many games for the third straight season. He may not be exciting or offer tremendous production in multiple categories, but he’s solid across the board and always available.
Peyton Watson: Watson’s minutes jumped from 8.1 as a rookie to 18.6 in Year 2, though his statistical output wasn’t enough to make him a viable option in standard leagues.
He wasn’t worth rostering in 12-team leagues, but Watson looks like he’s got a bright future. He averaged 6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.5 steals and 1.1 blocks in limited playing time, showing off his skills on both ends of the court. Finding meaningful playing time will be an issue, but he’s worth monitoring in 2024-25.
Reggie Jackson: Jackson logged just 22.2 minutes per game last season, his fewest since 2012-13 when he was with the Thunder. Jackson led the bench in minutes and appeared in all 82 regular-season games, providing a boost off the bench as a scorer and facilitator. Jackson started 23 games and averaged 15.4 points, 2.4 boards, 5.3 dimes and 1.9 triples, filling in admirably for Jamal Murray.
Jackson isn’t worth drafting in most fantasy leagues, but he’s always a guy to look for on the waiver wire as a high-end streamer when Murray misses time. He’s got a player option for the upcoming campaign, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he picked it up to remain with the Nuggets.
Julian Strawther: The rookie out of Gonzaga averaged 4.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.8 triples across 10.9 minutes per tilt in 50 appearances. He didn’t start a single game, but he dropped 22 points and six triples on December 11 against Atlanta when he played a season-best 28 minutes. Strawther is in the same predicament as the rest of Denver’s bench, as he’s unlikely to get many meaningful minutes barring injuries ahead of him on the depth chart.
DeAndre Jordan: He’ll be 36 when the 2024-25 campaign tips off, and he’s averaged fewer than 20 minutes per game in each of his last three. The “Lob City” days are far behind him, and there’s no need to draft Jordan outside the deepest of leagues.
