How many times have we seen duos carry their team to a championship? Now, some of the well-known partnerships would include MJ and Pippen, Shaq and Kobe, Steph and KD, and many more. But there are a lot of things that need to align for a team to win a championship backed by their two best players. Though there are times when the duo itself is the only hope of winning a title. Back in 2023, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray finally added a title under their name after years of struggle.

Why was this monumental? Well, the Nuggets judiciously built a team around the Joker and Murray. It took them about six years to find the missing pieces of the puzzle. Guys like Aaron Gordon, KCP, MPJ, and Bruce Brown were some of the key players during the championship run. However, according to Gilbert Arenas, the Nuggets aren’t as well-structured as many might believe them to be. In fact, their offense is solely based around Jokic and Murray.

“You going to look like Denver. It’s just Murray and Jokic. The rest of ya’ll m*****f****** just… corner. Hey, you got everybody like ‘Hey man it’s fun playing with these two, we ain’t got to do nothing’. Yeah the offense is made for ya’ll not to do nothing. Sit your a** in the corner.”, said Arenas. For the most part, Arenas is not wrong. It appears that Denver partially isolated their offense around the Joker and the Canadian. And looking back at the 2023 championship run, Murray and Jokic did the most out of all.

The duo averaged a combined 56.1 points, 19.2 rebounds, and 16.6 assists throughout the postseason. Whereas KCP, MPJ, Gordon, and Brown combined for an average of 49.3 points, 7.7 assists, and 21.4 rebounds. Apart from Murray, KCP and Porter Jr. took care of the deep shooting whereas Gordon helped clear the boards. Still, during the regular season, the supporting cast played a major role in leading the Nuggets to top the West.

On the other hand, the recent additions to the roster may just help Jokic and Murray in quite a few aspects. Not to mention, the Nuggets are the second-favorite team to win the title next year.

Nikola Jokic and company finally welcome a veteran

With the Nuggets welcoming Russell Westbrook, the squad will have a much-needed veteran presence. Yes, Brodie is not a major addition to the roster, but he will be playing a crucial role coming off the bench, especially being a reliable defender. Moreover, Denver added some shooting depth to their roster. Dario Saric, who is a decent 3-and-D player is one of the assets to look out for in the upcoming season. Overall, the squad looks well-balanced, considering that KCP won’t be in the starting lineup.

While Westbrook can step in as a defensive powerhouse in place of KCP, the Nuggets would still lack a consistent shooter. Nevertheless, Porter Jr. has been steadily improving his outside shot, having shot over 40% in the postseason. The Nuggets will look forward to MPJ catching up to a more serious role as a forward alongside Nikola Jokic and Murray. It will be interesting to see how far the Nuggets can go next year.

What are your thoughts on the Nuggets partially isolating the game around Nikola Jokic and Murray? Do you think someone from the supporting cast has to step up? Let us know in the comments.

Feel that you can do with another update from the sport of basketball? Then do check out this recent interview with the up-and-coming Georgia Lady Bulldogs star Asia Avinger.