To say that the offseason was not a good one for the Nuggets would be an understatement. They saw several key players leave the team via free agency, including starter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
They also saw their first-round pick, rookie DaRon Holmes II, tear his Achilles tendon in the team’s summer league opener. And they also haven’t made any headway in contract negotiations with Jamal Murray, who is coming off a brutal playoff run and the Olympics as he heads into the final year of his contract.
Still, the Nuggets are in a good position. They have reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and most of his teammates intact. Even with the losses of Pope and others, they are among the favorites to win the Western Conference and contend for another NBA title.
But the league has skeptics, and apparently the creators of the popular NBA 2K video game franchise are among them. The new version of the game is coming out soon, and this year’s player rankings have been slow to come out.
The Nuggets aren’t getting much respect from the rankings, which have only placed two Denver players in the top 60. The top 10 will be released Monday, and Jokic will likely be a big part of it. But Murray was a bit of a snubber, ranking just 38th in the league, or 87th overall.
Enter the upper half of the #NBA2KTop100 👀
What do you think about this group? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/LGfgX4rBog
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) August 21, 2024
The next Nugget on the list was Aaron Gordon at No. 61, an 84th overall pick, followed closely by Michael Porter Jr. at No. 67, an 83rd overall pick. Jokic will likely – and should – be the highest-ranked player overall, which is obviously fair and justified.
But the fact that Gordon is outside the top 60 and Murray is outside the top 35 is a bit dramatic and offensive. Gordon is just behind players like CJ McCollum and Jarrett Allen, and just ahead of Myles Turner and Zach LaVine, which seems like quite a drop for a star on a championship team just a year ago.
But Murray’s ranking seems like an even bigger slap in the face, as it suggests there are 37 players in the league who are currently better. Murray was the 1B on a title winner just a year ago and is now ranked behind the likes of Pascal Siakam, LaMelo Ball, DeMar DeRozan and Chet Holmgren. He’s just ahead of Lauri Markkannen, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Williams, Dejounte Murray and others.
This seems like an overreaction to a tough injury-filled summer for Murray. Hopefully it gives him the motivation to get back into shape and get the team back to winning ways. Murray needs to get back into shape and have a breakthrough season to remind those who doubt his abilities.
