As a Nuggets fan its exciting to see optimism among the fans and even more exciting to see the drastic change in culture we have seen over the last year. The future is incredibly bright for the Nuggets after years and years of living in purgatory, clawing our way to the playoffs only to be dropped in the first round. And that was when we did have a star in Carmelo Anthony. Sure he got them to conference finals one year, but that wasn't enough for him. He wanted the bright lights of the big city and he left.
Fortunately we were able to secure quite the haul of talented players and draft picks in return for him, which allowed us to keep fighting for playoff spots. One year we even managed to get the third seed, but the story was always the same. "They can't win without a star, it just doesn't happen." The front office even tried to shake things up by drastically changing the style of play. It was an unmitigated disaster, but after some savvy front office moves, excellent draft picks, and an inspired coaching hire, the Nuggets future is once again bright and the front office has the flexibility to go out and try to find a star to add to its collection of young talent.
Because, you see, despite the impressive pool of young talent we have on this team, the story is that we are still lacking that one special player, the true star to take us over the top. Sure Mudiay, Jokic, Nurkic, and Harris are all promising young players, but there is still an outcry from media members and fans alike for the front office to make a big move to bring a star to Denver. It seems like its the same story every year for this recently troubled franchise.
I do wonder if we haven't become to enraptured by the search for a star, that we might just miss the special talent developing right before our eyes. That we might be too busy dreaming of the Durants and Currys of the world to realize that we might have a new and unique star or two already on our team.
Mudiay's combination of size and finesse are simply brilliant and if those physical tools weren't enough, he already has incredible court vision and that burning desire to be the best, that every star needs to reach his full potential. He's struggled quite a bit in his first few months in the league, but he's used those struggles to ignite in him and even greater yearning for success. We've seen in recent weeks a glimpse towards his future and it is indeed bright. Many admit that he can indeed become a star, but some of our very own media members here on Denver Stiffs still feel like we are missing "that" piece. Why can't "that" piece be Emmanuel Mudiay?
Jokic has been a complete and utter surprise to many (though I'd like to point out, I've expected this since he was drafted and I first watched his highlights), he has exceeded all expectations and isn't just a star of the future, he is proving to be a star right now. He's young and the consistency isn't totally there for him yet. He still has a lot of room to improve which is indeed a staggering idea, as Jokic has proven to be one of the most efficient players in the league and the Advanced metrics back up that claim. Jokic is 20th in PER, 16th in RPM, 18th in TS%, 14th in WS/48, and 11th in Box Plus/Minus. So I ask again, why can't Jokic be that star?
It seems to me that it's a losing franchise that is always looking toward the future hoping for bigger and better things. Pining after the flashy new rookie or the veteran super star. That's a losing mentality, and one Nuggets fans should leave behind in the much forlorned era of Brian Shaw.
The future is bright, and the future is now. We need to take on the mentality of a champion and embrace the stars we already have. Now I know my expectations for our young talent may be high, but the future is never set in stone. If we don't expect great things from our young talent than they may never achieve great things. So for now I choose to believe that Mudiay/Jokic will be the best PG/Big combination since Stockton and Malone. And maybe just maybe they'll be able to accomplish something that Stockton and Malone couldn't bring a title home to the Rocky Mountains.
This quixotic quest for a star will never end if we blind ourselves to the stars we've already got.
