No team in the NBA has been hit harder from injuries than the Denver Nuggets. Not only are they without Jamal Murray, who is recovering from an ACL tear suffered last April, but Michael Porter Jr. has been sidelined indefinitely since suffering a back injury in early November.
On top of everything else, P.J. Dozier suffered a torn ACL early in the season and was traded, Markus Howard missed close to six week of action with a knee sprain and the remaining core of Nikola Jokic, Will Barton and Monte Morris have all missed a handful of games with some injuries.
Very rarely have the Nuggets been at full-strength this season, yet they are 32-25 and still finding ways to win games, mainly because of reigning league-MVP Nikola Jokic.
In 51 games this season, Jokic has averaged 25.8 points (T-8 in NBA), 13.7 rebounds (2nd in NBA), 7.9 assists (8th in NBA), 1.4 steals (T-17 in NBA) and is shooting 57% from the floor (9th in NBA).
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Nuggets Could Have Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. For Playoffs?
Having yet another MVP-like season, Nikola Jokic has kept things afloat in Denver given all of their injury concerns. However, it is hard to imagine that Jokic can carry the Nuggets deep into the playoffs by himself.
The good news for this franchise is that Jamal Murray is on the mend and should be ready to come back at some point after the All-Star break and before the start of the playoffs. Denver also got some more good news recently, as Nuggets president Tim Connelly said that Michael Porter Jr. could be cleared in the “not-too-distant future.”
Getting both Murray and Porter Jr. back in some capacity would go a long way in terms of the Nuggets figuring things out this season and becoming a true threat again, but they could also look to add some extra talent in the buyout market.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Nuggets Could Have Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. For Playoffs?
Settling at the trade deadline and not making any moves this season, the Nuggets currently find themselves right under the tax line and not really having any roster spots open.
However, these three players could fill a small need for this team in the buyout market, giving them a little bit extra talent to bring into the playoffs amid all their injuries stacking up.
