This article is part of our NBA Team Previews series.
STATE OF THE FRANCHISE
The Nuggets had a disappointing 2013-14 campaign as they finished 36-46 and missed the playoffs. They endured a lot of injuries, losing small forward Danilo Gallinari (knee) for the entire season, center JaVale McGee (leg) for all but five games, and backup point guard Nate Robinson (knee) for almost half the season. The team will be led again this season by point guard Ty Lawson and power forward Kenneth Faried. They traded for shooting guard Arron Afflalo and drafted shooting guard Gary Harris over the summer to help strengthen their backcourt. The Nuggets believe their misfortune was largely due to their injury woes, but a lot of the blame for their demise was a direct result of owner Stan Kroenke's son Josh taking over as team president and rushing to make front office personnel and roster changes for changes sake instead of for the betterment of the team.
PLAYING TIME DISTRIBUTION
Ty Lawson will be the team's starting point guard and should play 30-35 minutes per game. Nate Robinson could miss the start of the season as he recovers from surgery to repair his torn ACL but should play 15-20 minutes per game as a backup when healthy. Randy Foye will also serve as a backup at point guard and shooting guard and should play 15-20 minutes per game. Erick Green could see limited minutes at point guard off the bench. Arron Afflalo will be the starting shooting guard and should play 30-35 minutes per game. He could also see some time at small forward. Wilson Chandler will backup shooting guard, small forward, and possibly power forward and should play 20-25 minutes per game. Gary Harris will serve as a backup shooting guard and will likely see 5-10 minutes per game in his rookie season. Danilo Gallinari is expected to be ready to start the season and will likely be the team's starting small forward. He should play 30-35 minutes per game. Quincy Miller will see limited minutes as a backup at small forward as well but will be behind Chandler and even Afflalo in the pecking order for those minutes. Kenneth Faried will be the starting power forward and should play 30 minutes per game. J.J. Hickson (knee) is not only recovering from a torn ACL but is also suspended for the first five games of the season. He will be the primary backup at power forward once he returns and should play about 20-25 minutes per game. He could also see some time as a backup center. Darrell Arthur will serve as a backup power forward and center and should play 10-20 minutes per game. Timofey Mozgov and JaVale McGee will battle for the starting center position. McGee and Mozgov should both play 20-25 minutes per game unless McGee finally plays at a high level consistently. Rookie Jusuf Nurkic should also see limited minutes off the bench at center.
PLAYER OUTLOOKS
Centers
JaVale McGee: McGee missed the majority of the 2013-14 season after a stress fracture was discovered in his left tibia in November. He was the starter coming in to the 2013-14 season, but the injury forced the Nuggets to turn to J.J. Hickson and, eventually, Timofey Mozgov at center. McGee will have his eye on reclaiming the starting center role in 2014-15, but he'll have to prove his worth in training camp to guarantee himself minutes.
Timofey Mozgov: Mozgov was one of the few healthy survivors of the Nuggets' 2013-14 season, and he played in all 82 games while finishing the season as the starting center. His clean bill of health certainly helped him earn his starting position, but it would be unfair to say that part of his success wasn't due to his personal development throughout the year. Mozgov proved that he is a legitimate double-double threat when given the minutes. With that being said, the healthy return of JaVale McGee (leg) may pose problems for Mozgov's value since McGee will have his eye on reclaiming the starting center role in 2014-15. While we currently have Mozgov slated as the starting center for the Nuggets, coach Brian Shaw used a fluid rotation last season that limited most of the Nuggets' fantasy value, and it's anyone's guess who will ultimately start at center on Opening Night. J.J. Hickson and Darrell Arthur will be fighting for the honor against McGee and Mozgov in training camp.
Jusuf Nurkic: Nurkic was drafted by the Bulls with the 16th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and then traded to Denver, along with the 19th pick (Gary Harris), for Doug McDermott. Nurkic is a space eater at 7-0, 280. He can score around the basket and should be a good defender in the low post. He's just 19 years old and should have time to learn behind Timofey Mozgov, JaVale McGee, and J.J. Hickson at center. Nurkic will most likely be tied to the bench in his rookie season unless the Nuggets shake up their roster a lot this season.
Forwards
Kenneth Faried: Faried played in 80-of-82 games for the second straight season in 2013-14, while averaging a career-high 13.7 points on 54 percent shooting, 8.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.9 blocks in 27 minutes per game for the Nuggets. What makes Faried intriguing for the 2014-15 season is the fact that, after the All-Star break last season, he averaged 18.8 points on 55 percent shooting, 10.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.7 blocks in 31 mpg. With the expected additions of a healthy Danilo Gallinari returning from a torn ACL and J.J. Hickson (knee) and JaVale McGee (leg) returning from injury, the Nuggets frontcourt is going to be littered with varied options for coach Brian Shaw. Faried should be surrounded by playoff caliber talent and flourish as a reliable rebounder and opportune scorer for fantasy owners this season. While his role as the starting power forward seemed constantly in question last season, the fact that Faried staked his claim to the job last season - and was named the starting power forward for the US national team for the FIBA World Cup - should guarantee him a healthy and consistent role this season.
Danilo Gallinari: Gallinari's (knee) rehab process has gone as planned, and it looks increasingly likely that he will be able to return for training camp. He missed the entire 2013-14 season due to a torn ACL, which he eventually had surgically repaired in January of this year. Still just 25 years old, Gallinari should be plenty motivated to make a strong comeback after last season's frustrating campaign. While we're decidedly skeptical about Gallinari's health for the start of this season due to how poorly the Nuggets managed his injury last season, if he's healthy, he should be the starter at small forward, which should put him in position to be a fantasy boon in three-pointers this season.
J.J. Hickson: Hickson (knee) hopes to be ready for training camp, and if that's not the case, he believes he'll be ready before the season begins. When asked about a rumored January return date, Hickson said, "That's false. I'm looking to be ready for training camp. If not, definitely before the season starts." He went down with an ACL tear in his right knee during the Nuggets' March 21 game against the Mavericks last season. Before the injury, he was averaging 11.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks in 27 minutes per game. In May, it was reported that Hickson was targeting a January return. Timetables for a return from ACL surgery vary, so it's hard to pick a concrete date for Hickson's return. Even when he does return, Hickson may not have a regular role in the rotation considering the impending healthy return of JaVale McGee (knee) and the development of Kenneth Faried and Timofey Mozgov last season.
Wilson Chandler: Chandler averaged 13.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.5 blocks last season with Denver. He dealt with a groin injury that held him out toward the end of the season, but he did manage to play 62 games of decently productive basketball. The lack of options on the Nuggets certainly helped his cause, and the season-long injury to Danilo Gallinari (knee) didn't hurt either. Looking ahead, Gallinari will likely move back into the starting lineup, which could pose some problems for Chandler's value during 2014-15. With Arron Afflalo back with the Nuggets, Chandler seems destined for a bench role backing up the wing positions and potentially seeing some run at power forward.
Darrell Arthur: Arthur should be a regular contributor off the bench for the Nuggets this season, but he may not get as many minutes as he did in 2013-14 due to the impending healthy returns of JaVale McGee (knee), J.J. Hickson, and Danilo Gallinari (knee). With Kenneth Faried emerging as the seemingly unquestioned starter at power forward, it'll be interesting to see how the Nuggets' high-potential depth affects the rotation this season. Arthur seems like he may end up being the odd man out if things go well for the Nuggets and the team can stay healthy.
Quincy Miller: The 2012 second-round pick appeared in 52 games last season, making 16 starts. He averaged 4.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 15 minutes per game, playing a significantly larger role than his rookie season, during which he saw time in only seven NBA games. One of the Nuggets' top young assets, Miller is a jaw-dropping athlete with an improving perimeter game. Over one-third of his field goal attempts last season were three-pointers, and he converted at a 32-percent clip. Coming off of a decent summer league showing, Miller will vie for time at both small forward and power forward this season.
Guards
Ty Lawson: Lawson enjoyed arguably his best NBA season in 2013-14, setting career-highs with 17.6 points, 8.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game to go with 3.5 rebounds. While his counting stats showed improvement, he turned in the lowest shooting percentages of his career – both from the field (43%) and from three (36%). Lawson appeared in 62 games, missing a chunk of time in February with a rib injury and the final six games of the season with an ankle issue. Looking toward 2014-15, there's no reason to believe the 26-year-old will slow down. While he's ranked among the league leaders in minutes played over the past three years, he's been one of the NBA's most consistent producers at the point guard spot. With Arron Afflalo returning to Denver and Danilo Gallinari and JaVale McGee expected back from injury, the Nuggets should return to playoff contention, and Lawson could be poised for an even better 2014-15 season with an upgraded supporting cast.
Arron Afflalo: Afflalo is returning to Denver, where he spent 2009-12 before signing with the Magic as a free agent. The Nuggets acquired the UCLA product in a June trade that sent Evan Fournier and the 56th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft to the Magic. While Orlando struggled mightily as a team last season, Afflalo enjoyed the best individual season of his career, averaging 18.2 points to go with 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He shot 46 percent from the field and an impressive 43 percent from three, a major improvement over his 30-percent mark in 2012-13. As he enters his age-29 season, Afflalo figures to be one of the more productive players at the league's shallowest position. He won't be asked to do as much offensively, which will likely lead to a slight decline in production, but it's difficult to imagine a significant regression. The question is whether the combination of Randy Foye (last year's starter at shooting guard) and rookie Gary Harris will cut into Afflalo's playing time.
Nate Robinson: Suiting up for his sixth team since 2009, Robinson appeared in 44 games last season before tearing his ACL in January. In those 44 contests, the diminutive guard averaged 10.4 points, 2.5 assists, and 1.8 rebounds in 20 minutes per game. He shot 43 percent from the floor and 38 percent from three while converting at an 84-percent clip from the charity stripe. Robinson exercised his player option to return to Denver over the summer but is expected to miss time at the beginning of the season as he continues to work back from surgery. Upon his return, he'll slot in as the backup point guard to Ty Lawson, but he could see slightly fewer minutes than last season, as the addition of Arron Afflalo will push Randy Foye into the reserve guard rotation.
Randy Foye: In his first season with the Nuggets, Foye appeared in 81 games, making 78 starts. Playing alongside Ty Lawson, Foye averaged 13.2 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.9 rebounds in 31 minutes per game – his highest average since playing nearly 36 minutes per game for the Timberwolves in 2008-09. Never an overly efficient offensive player, Foye shot 41 percent from the floor but knocked down a healthy 38 percent of his three-pointers. He was also one of the league's best free throw shooters, converting nearly 85 percent of his attempts. As solid as Foye was for most of last season, he'll lose his starting job to Arron Afflalo, whom the Nuggets acquired from the Magic in June. Afflalo is coming off of a stellar season and will open the year with a firm grasp on the starting shooting guard spot, relegating Foye to a bench role. While it's tough to envision Foye seeing 30-plus minutes per game again, moving to the bench could allow him to see more time at point guard, providing depth behind Ty Lawson as Nate Robinson works back from a torn ACL.
Erick Green: A second-round pick of the Nuggets in 2013, Green spent the entirety of last season playing overseas in Italy. He appeared in 44 Italian League games, averaging 11.2 points, 1.8 assists and 2.0 rebounds while shooting an impressive 51 percent from the field. A true volume scorer, Green led the ACC in scoring during his senior year at Virginia Tech, pouring in 25.0 points per game. He translated that success to the 2014 Las Vegas Summer League, where he averaged 16.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. At 6-3, he's a bit undersized for the shooting guard spot and could see reserve minutes at point guard as a result. He won't play a major role right away, but with Nate Robinson likely to miss time at the beginning of the season as he recovers from knee surgery, Green could steal some minutes as the backup to Ty Lawson.
Gary Harris: The Nuggets selected Harris with the 19th-overall pick in the 2014 draft. The Michigan State product was one of the top players in the country, averaging 16.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists as a sophomore last season. While he's one of the draft's top outside shooters, Harris fell out of the lottery, partially due to the fact that he's a bit undersized (6-4) for the shooting guard spot. Size wasn't an issue at Michigan State, but against the bigger, stronger bodies of the NBA, it's certainly a concern. With Arron Afflalo returning to Denver to team with Ty Lawson, Harris stands little-to-no chance of cracking the starting backcourt, barring an injury. He'll compete with 2013 second-round pick Erick Green and veteran Randy Foye for minutes off the bench.
SLEEPER
Danilo Gallinari: Gallinari is not the type of player that many would ever consider a sleeper, but he may have fallen off the fantasy radar for some owners because he missed all of last season. Gallinari has said he'll be ready for training camp, but given how his injury issues lingered last season, there's a chance he won't be ready to start the season. He was fantastic in the 2012-13 season, when he averaged 16.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.9 three-pointers, and 0.9 steals per game. Even with the addition of Afflalo eating into some of the minutes at small forward, Gallinari is one of the key players on the Nuggets' roster. He is a lethal shooter from behind the arc and could fall a few rounds further than he should based on injury concerns.
BUST
JaVale McGee: McGee is extremely athletic, and his leaping ability and long arms make him one of the best shot blockers in the NBA. Although a promising young talent, McGee has never averaged a double-double in his career and is a career 58-percent shooter from the charity stripe. He's going to provide plenty of blocked shots when healthy, but he has a lot of shortcomings in other areas that fantasy owners need to keep in mind on draft day. Mozgov played well stepping in for McGee last season and may have earned himself a significant role again this season, possibly even the starting center job. If McGee were to see limited minutes off the bench, his value would take a big hit. Proceed with caution.
