Why the Nuggets WILL Win the 2026 NBA Championship…

This video looks at the Denver nuggets and why they will win the 2026 nba championship behind Nikola Jokic and all of their new additions like Cam Johnson
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The Denver Nuggets are absolutely my favorites to win the NBA championship this year. I don’t think this should really be a question. Yes, the West is an absolute bloodbath. OKC just won it all and they’re running it back with even more depth this year. But speaking of depth, that’s what Denver went out and got this off season. They were playing with like four and a half to five and a half rotation players depending on if Julian Strawler decided to show up or not down the stretch in the playoffs. I mean, Michael Porter Jr. was a non-factor. Jamal was hurt. Jokic was obviously fatigued. Aaron Gordon got banged up towards the end. But now you go out, you add in new veterans, way more depth, and then you even get Dron Holmes the second back who looked pretty solid in the summer league. And you’ve got the best player in the world. That alone gives you an advantage over any other team in the league. And if we’re being serious, he should have won the last five MVPs, right? Voter fatigue just got the best of him, like it does with any star who is an absolute monster. Or I think he goes out and gets number two this year. That would be huge for like his GOAT legacy because he’d be 29. He’s already got two rings, three MVPs, maybe four. He should have five, six after the season he just put up. Ridiculous numbers. 58% shooting from the field. 42% from three as well. And we know this is a duo that can go out and get a chip, especially when Jamal Murray is healthy and playing well. That’s just been kind of the issue so far. But moving on for Michael Porter Jr. was, I think at the end of the day, the right move. They were able to turn MPJ into Cam Johnson and two veterans off the bench as well as Jonas Valenunis with a little bit of help from Dario Sarich. And I mean, you’re talking about Michael Porter Jr. who, yes, was fantastic. I really liked MPJ. He’s going to thrive in Brooklyn, but he was making $38.3 million per year. They turned that into four other players, including Cam Johnson, who’s going to be a stud next year. He’s getting paid $21 million per year, and he’s going to improve like any player would when they play with the best player in the world. look for 21 to 23 points a game from him next year. Yonis Valenunis is making about $10.3 million this year. So you add those two up, that’s about $31.3 mil. And then you’re bringing Bruce Brown back to Denver on a $3 million veteran minimum. And then you’re also bringing Tim Hardaway Jr. in from Detroit. And I mean that’s not exactly a needle mover, but he’s only getting paid $3.6 million. And he can take over some games from time to time off the bench. Overall, I think this is a much more consistent, much more well-rounded starting lineup than they had last year. Yes, they had the ability to go out and have a big time game with MPJ always having that ability anytime he steps on the court to drop 40, but now with Cam Johnson a little more consistent and a much much much much better bench with Peyton Watson and Strawther being the only two returners on that bench. And really looking at all four of the guys they brought in, they’re just great veterans, right? They’re playing for the price of one in Michael Porter Jr. So, this was really a no-brainer. Yes, they had to send out a first round pick in 2032 for Cam Johnson, and who knows what that pick could end up being, but Cam Johnson is really going to improve. Playing alongside Nicole Joic, this was a win-winwin because the Nets get a pretty valuable future asset. Cam Johnson gets to play with Nicole Yic, and his numbers will shoot up. And then the Nuggets get their new small forward that can shoot 39% from three, average 19 a game, and play fantastic defense. And like I said, look for him to average even more a game playing off of Nicole Joic next year. He played 57 games last year. And for a guy that is 6’8 with a 6’10 wingspan that can play the three or the four and has playoff experience in big-time games, this is a home run addition for the Denver Nuggets. You trade that first round pick because there’s not Nicole Joic’s walking around everywhere and you have to maximize his talent while he’s here. Bringing back Bruce Brown is also going to be fantastic. 8.2 points a game, 4.2 rebounds, 2.4 four assists, seven steals in 25 minutes a game. Shot 41% from the field and 36% from three on two attempts per game last year. And bringing him back, I mean, obviously, he’s already won a championship in Denver. He left and then things kind of went downhill for both sides. Bruce Brown and the Nuggets. Of course, the Nuggets get not getting back to the Western Conference Finals since he’s been gone. We also get to see Brown and Brown defense attorneys back in Denver. He’s a fan favorite. He’s a veteran. He’s a heads up guy and he’s going to be a nice guy for the locker room as well as on the court. he can still knock down the three ball and can facilitate. And then you also bring in Yonis Valenunis and opposing centers are going to absolutely hate playing Denver next season because you got 36 minutes in Nicole Joic and then when he’s not on the court, you got this big behemoth who is 6’1, 265 lbs bullying you the entire game. I mean, he just moves Mason Plumbley right out of the way right there. Shout out to the Hornets new backup center, by the way. And just gets an easy putback layup. averaged 10 and a half points, 7 and a half rebounds, 55% shooting from the field. And he really is a Bosnian bully, right? That’s that’s what they call him. Lithuanian Lightning, whatever you want to call him, right? He is a big dude. He can pass a little bit as well. He’s going to be extremely tough coming off the bench in exchange for Joic. And then Tim Hardaway Jr., who is just a nice wing to have, a nice veteran presence out there that can knock down the three ball. 11 points a game, 2.4 rebounds, 1.6 six assists and.5 steals in 28 minutes per game. Shot 41% from the field and 37% from three on six attempts a game last year as a member of the Detroit Pistons. A Detroit Pistons team that was an upstart team. They kind of came out of nowhere and yes, he was overpaid cuz he was making 14 million. But now he comes in, he’s a high upside guy off the bench that’s only making $3 million. That’s I mean, you’ll take that all day long, especially a guy that can really shoot it. Last year, this was what the bench unit was heading in to the season opener. Compared to now, I mean, we’re talking about maybe even another leap forward for Peyton Watson and maybe a breakout season for Julian Strawther being the lead initiator off that bench unit playing alongside off Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown. You also got Darren Holmes and Jaylen Picket and maybe even Tamar Bates who look decent in the summer league. Uh yeah, the sky is the limit for this Nuggets team because they got at least 12 guys that are quality NBA players. Maybe they make another trade later on. And also, you get to see year two Darron Holmes because we never got to see year one Darron Holmes. And he is, man, he is really, really exciting in Denver. 6’10 with a 7-1 wingspan. So, I don’t know if he’s going to play the three or not, excuse me, not the three. I don’t know if he’s going to play the four or the five. Where he’s going to play, probably a little bit of both if I had to guess. 20 and a half points a game, eight and a half boards, 2.6 assists, 2.1 blocks in 32 minutes a game. Shot, 54% from the field, and 39% from three last year. He’s got, you know, a little bit of an O man game, but can also hit that post fade as well. That’s really tough to stop getting to spots, knocking down mid-ranges. I mean, he can play a modern brand of basketball or spin baseline and go dunk on you like he does right here. Getting to the middle of the floor. He loves those hop steps. Gets to his spot and knocks down a fadeaway jumper. He can shoot the three ball as well as we saw in the summer league and just had a monster game last Friday. And then Jamal Murray or last Thursday, excuse me. And I’m expecting a better year from Jamal Murray this year. There will not be as much pressure on him come playoff time. He averaged 21.4 points a game, six assists, four rebounds, 1.4 steals per game in 36 minutes. And I’m one of the Nuggets or one of the people that cover the Nuggets that are advocating to keep Jamal Murray. He’s I think he stays in Denver no matter what. 47% shooting from the field, 39% from three. You got to have that co-star alongside of Nicole Joic. And Jamal Murray is pretty underrated when it comes to being a co-star. This is still, like I said, a duo that can go get you a chip. Now, I know he didn’t quite live up to his four-year $28 million contract last year, but he still had a pretty good playoff run. It’s not like he underperformed. His stats were up from what they were at the beginning of the regular season where he averaged 22 and a half points a game, 5 and a half assists, 5.2 rebounds, did shoot 45% from the field, 38% from three. And I felt bad for the guy because Oklahoma City and the Clippers both had a plethora of defensive wings they could throw at you. And I mean, they wereounding Murray all series long. Shout out to Aaron Gordon, Mr. Nugget, for what he did in game seven of that OKC series, gutting it out. Looking forward to him being healthy this year, coming off of a career year. And speaking of career years, Christian Brown, that man is going to get a bag after this year. So, they need to kind of take advantage of that while they can, where Brown’s still on his rookie deal. But with that being said, it’s up to Nicole Joic. He’s got the weapons now. And I think he’s going to make it happen because like I said, he is the best player on the face of the earth right now. And that should not be a conversation that we’re having. Shay fans, y’all can debate me in the comments all you want. He should have five straight MVPs. Jamal Murray is good enough to be that second option on a championship team with Nicole Joic. With that being said, that’s going to be it for today’s video. Thanks so much for watching. Make sure to hit the like button, leave me a comment down below, and hit that subscribe button, especially if you agree with me that the Denver Nuggets should be NBA champs next year.