National Basketball Association

NBA 30 Teams/30 Days Preview: Healthy Nuggets still capable of sleeper role

Published Oct. 3, 2014 2:15 p.m. ET

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Coach

Brian Shaw finally landed a head-coaching gig after seemingly endless cycle of interviewing, then getting turned down. Following his first season with the Nuggets, we can safely say the jury is still out. Shaw is a former point guard and a strong leader who is known for his Xs and Os. But can he sell the players on his smarts? The next year or two should answer that.

Centers

JaVale McGee is tall, athletic and now qualifies as someone who has been around a while. In today's NBA, that makes him starting-center worthy. ... Timofey Mozgov is similar in style to McGee, with Mozgov providing the role of active backup who protects the basket. ... J.J. Hickson also manned the position admirably for chunks of last season before getting injured.

Power Forwards

Kenneth Faried is coming off an outstanding run with Team USA, where he proved to be the ultimate hustle player with underrated basketball skills. He fills that role admirably with the Nuggets and remains one of the league's most underappreciated players. ... Hickson, Darrell Arthur and Nikola Jokic can also serve spot-duty here.

Small Forwards

How well can Danilo Gallinari return from a knee injury that sidelined him all of last season? That is likely the question of the year for the Nuggets. Prior to the injury, Gallinari had turned into an All-Star-caliber forward — an offensively gifted scorer who helped fans forget Carmelo Anthony was ever here. How Galiinari returns, again, is huge. ... Wilson Chandler is a solid all-around vet who can fill this role (whether starting or off the bench) admirably. ... Quincy Miller also sees time.

Shooting Guards

Arron Afflalo returns after a strong couple of years with the Magic. At the very least, Affalo has evolved into a constant threat to hit 20 points every night. He can also defend very well when the mood strikes. ... Ninth-year veteran Randy Foye can bury threes and understands his role. He could be lethal off the bench. ... First-round draft pick Gary Harris has loads of potential both as a scorer and defender and is waiting in the wings.

Point Guards

You may not find a faster guy with the basketball than Ty Lawson. He's not an excellent distributor, shooter or defender, but he's good enough. On some nights, his speed alone can just kill you. ... Nate Robinson is a feisty reserve who can shoot and annoy opponents with the best of them. He too is another key component coming off a major injury (knee).

Projection

The Nuggets are not a top-five (or probably top-seven) team in the West. There are just too many good teams in front of them. But when healthy, they've proven they can play well together and overachieve. That makes them a sleeper, yes. But they're a believable one, and therefore, one that should not be overlooked.

Quotable

"With this team we have a lot of versatility and flexibility position-wise, and the luxury of trying to do some things that we weren't able to do last year." -- coach Brian Shaw

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