Here's another end of season review where I give an insight on each player from 1-15 on the squad. How they did during the season, what I think of them and any other miscellanous information.
The Starters
Stan Griffiths
A STANdout player in his Rookie season, Stan's sophomore campaign was that of a role player. His numbers were down across the board, but it was due to the dominance of Borislav Perko and Taylor MacKenzie stepping up as the main scorer. Griffiths had fewer attempts, but managed to score 12 points per game as a result of shooting .617 from the field.
His efforts earned him an All-NBA Second Team selection, which signifies that his selection with the first overall pick has been justified.
Borislav Perko
Two quadruple-double games, a triple-double in season averages, a league leader in 3 categories and the Defensive Player of the Year; Borislav basically did everything to get another MVP trophy, but was denied by Nets' star Nicholas Schneider.
11.2 points, 10.9 rebounds, 10.9 assists and 3.4 blocks - those are stats of a game changer.
Dennis Anderson
He only averaged 6.8 points per game in the season, but there's a reason why he's a coach's favourite. Dennis plays great defense, takes charges and is an underrated shot blocker. He's quick enough to stay with point guards and long enough to guard the big men. Anderson had another great season without creating many headlines.
Taylor MacKenzie
T-Mac took his 2024 playoff run and extended it into this season. He averaged 19.9 points and was the league's leader in steals with 2 per game. He was also the best in Denver as far as three point percentage is concerned as well (.352). As the reigning Finals MVP, MacKenzie heads into the 2025 post-season in better shape than he was the previous time around.
James Palmer
With his late season rise, it's hard to believe that Palmer has only played 49 games. After a huge game following his Rookie Challenge MVP, the Nuggets saw enough potential in Palmer to trade away former All-Star Steven Hunt for a pick and an IR filler; so far, Palmer hasn't let anyone down. He averaged 13 points and 4.3 assists per game in his rookie season, which was good enough to see him make the All-Rookie First team, along with two other Denver players.
His shooting consistency needs to be worked on, shooting just .307 from beyond the arc, but he definitely has a bright future ahead of him.
The Bench
Dwight Howard
At age 39, Dwight is still a headache for the opposing team on both ends. Still one of the most physically dominant centres in the league, he could easily play an extra season, which would make him surpass Robert Parish and LeBron James in the years played tally. ONE MORE YEAR!
Derrick Rose
It looked like Rose was set for retirement at the start of the season, missing lots of shots and not getting to the rim like he could in his prime... but he managed to find his range as the season progressed. His value on the bench was another factor in making Steven Hunt expendable.
Julian Chandler
Was a bit of a lost cause at the start of the season, but like Rose, he improved during the season, by taking better shots and attacking the rim. He has incredible athleticism, but lacks range on his shot. Once he develops that, he has the potential to be as good as his hero, Taylor MacKenzie.
Vince MacMahon
The Nuggets experimented a lot with different lineups during the season and the main player affected was Vince MacMahon. In the previous season, he won the 6th man award, but in this one, he missed out on 19 games as Denver were testing the likes of Jim Simon, James Palmer, Derrick Rose and Julian Chandler.
He comes off contract during the off-season and since Rose and Westbrook are probably going to retire, the Nuggets face the possibility of losing three of their point guards.
Jim Simon
On draft night, he was compared to Adam Morrison. It seemed like an unfair comparison, but post-all-star weekend, it was looking fairly accurate. After a dynamic start to the season, Simon's shooting percentages ended up being woeful. He shot 39% from the field, which included a disasterous 21% from beyond the arc.
We saw flashes of brilliance earlier in the season, so we all know what he's capable of. Will Denver stick with him like they did with T-Mac?
Lawrence Griffiths
The other G had a solid rookie season, scoring 6.7 points a game off 60 percent shooting. Offensive efficiency is something he has in common with his brother, but unfortunately, athleticism isn't. I had to wonder at times whether he could even dunk... and he's 6'11!
I think his athleticism will ultimately lower his ceiling, but he'll be a solid rotation centre in an excellent side.
Axel Donnelly
Donnelly was third in a power forward rotation behind Borislav Perko and Stan Griffiths; so it's safe to say that he wasn't going to get a lot of love this season. He generally picked up minutes when either player got in foul trouble or when games got stupidly blown out. He's a better player than that though. He plays a lot bigger than he actually is; he's an excellent rebounder and a surprisingly good post scorer. He just happens to be on the same team of possibly the greatest power forward ever and a rising star.
IR
Liam Leopold
This season had a brief case of Liamsanity, but with his lack of size and strength, he was never really likely to be a part of Denver's already strong centre rotation. Heading into free agency after the completion of the post-season, Leopold's future with the Nuggets is dependent on whether Howard retires or not. Even still, he's likely to be third string centre behind the Griffiths brothers.
Russell Westbrook
In what's probably the last stop in his career, Westbrook has shown signs of rejuvenation with the Nuggets. He had a couple of 20+ point games and his defense made him leap-frog Derrick Rose in the rotation temporarily. It's unlikely that he'll play much in the playoffs, but if all goes well, he should end his career with a second ring.
Sly Mitchell
Never really got much of a chance to showcase his skills. Denver's power forward rotation of Perko, Stan and Donnelly is solid and it's hard to see Mitchell getting any minutes in the playoffs. Will likely head to free agency.