Can the Nuggets' young core deliver a championship to Denver? 

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Savvy president of basketball operations, Tim Connelly, and the Nuggets front office have done a marvelous job of assembling one of the best young cores (basketball players under 24) in the NBA through the draft and trades. Especially when one considers the fact that the highest pick the Nuggets have had was the 7th overall pick---twice. Denver possesses very unique and intriguing young talent, and it could be argued that they have the best young core in the NBA after the 76ers (they do).

The Nuggets are in the process of creating an offensive juggernaut contender, analogous to the Warriors in the manner the roster was constructed--- through the draft (without a top five pick) and acquiring key veterans. Denver already has their young core in place as well as a key veteran in Paul Millsap. The purpose for the next couple of years is for this young core to grow and get playoff experience. Then the window of being title contenders will open up (the process could always be accelerated with major trades such as for Kyrie, but I prefer the process to happen organically).

A Star Has Emerged

It all started in 2014 when the Nuggets took a flyer on a tall, chubby, nonathletic kid out of Serbia in the second round named Nikola Jokic. The Joker has since developed into the franchise player of the Nuggets with his sensational shooting efficiency as well as his inexplicable passing and IQ. Jokic simply makes the team better, and the chart below supports that statement:

Gary Harris

The Nuggets dodged a bullet when the proposed three-team trade between the Nuggets, Cavaliers, and Pacers fell apart at the one yard-line. Gary Harris was this close to going to Indiana. Fortunately, Garris will stay in Denver for the foreseeable future and that is amazing news considering the tremendous chemistry and fit between Jokic and Garris.

First of all, Garris is fantastic off-ball player since he can shoot and cut exceptionally well. This past season consisted of a career year in shooting; he shot 42.0% from downtown and that mark led the team. Additionally, Garris dominated at cutting to the rim and it was beautiful watching Jokic feed Garris with dimes. Not to mention Garris was great at scoring in transition, which is evident in the chart below:

NBA.com

The best defender for the Nuggets this past year was Gary Harris, although, the Nuggets didn't really have good defenders which was evident when they finished 29th in defense last season. It would be great to see Garris further improve defensively, and to improve his playmaking ability.

Gary Harris has improved every year and I am intrigued to witness how Garris improves his game this upcoming year. Garris is a top ten shooting guard in the NBA right now, but how much better can Garris get? Can Garris become a star in the NBA?

Gary Harris Career High

Jamal Murray

Jamal Murray, who fell to the Nuggets last year at the seventh selection in the draft, flashed star potential this past year. Murray's stats last season aren't the best due to an up and down rookie season, but he certainly has Nugget Nation excited since he has displayed nifty moves that are very impressive and Curry-lite such as his floaters. Also, Murray has shown playmaking potential, amazing shooting, and decent athleticism. Defensively, Murray has the potential to be a solid defender as long as he implements effort, which is something that Murray did this past year.

The Blue Arrow is a crafty scorer with a lethal arsenal and this was evident last year when watching him play. However, Murray needs to improve his playmaking and handle since he is going to be playing point guard. One of the benefits of playing with Jokic is that Murray doesn't necessary have to be a true point guard. Murray just needs to compliment Jokic. If Murray keeps on working on his game, then there is no doubt in my mind that The Blue Arrow could become a star.

Moreover, the exciting promise that Murray portrayed this past year was magnified when we were informed that Murray played with sports hernia. Murray showed resilience and toughness by not missing a single game last year; imagine what Murray could do when he is truly healthy again! Coach Malone had the following to say regarding Jamal Murray to review the season on AltitudeSports950:

"One of the tougher 19-year-old kids I have ever been around, and I sensed that, but when I talked to our medical staff and they told me how serious the (Sports hernia) was. Playing with that injury and how hard it is gave me a new respect for Jamal and his discipline and mental toughness to get through all of those games..."

"We had a great opportunity to see, who is Jamal Murray? What is he capable of? What is his window, and where is he going to take us? And I can only speak for myself, I am very, very excited for Jamal Murray."

I agree with Malone. I am excited to see how Murray responds to being the starting point guard next year (I assume Murray will start). What is Jamal Murray's ceiling?

Murray Scores 30 Points

Juancho Hernangomez

Juancho Hernangomez! Juancho didn't really get a lot of playing time this past year, nevertheless, the Spaniard still showed potential. He led the rookie class with the most win shares at 1.8 win shares. I look forward to watching Juancho get more minutes this upcoming season backing up Wilson Chandler.

Offensively, Juancho can shoot the lights off the ball. He has a quick, wet jumper and he shot 41% from the three on 112 attempts. Twenty rookies shot more from downtown than Juancho yet none of them converted at a higher percentage. Besides spacing out the floor, Juancho hustles and this is imminent whenever playing defense and snagging rebounds. If it wasn't for his hustle, Juancho would have been oversees last year.

With that being said, Juancho still needs to improve in many aspects. First and foremost, he needs to bulk up and this would specifically help with his defense. Juancho already has good footwork, he just needs to expand his handles and playmaking ability so that he can drive on a regular basis. Additionally, are the comparisons between Gallinari and Juancho accurate? Can Juancho ever be as good as Gallo? Could he be better one day?

Juancho Career High 27 Points

Wildcard(s)

The Nuggets have two prospects from the 2015 NBA Draft that were drafted in the lottery. Both of these guys were in Denver's top 10 big board two years ago. These two players have so far struggled in the league, but will they fulfill and seize their potential? If they do, then they could contribute to the roster or be used as trade bait. There is hope that these incompetent basketball players fulfill their potential since they are extremely young at 21 years old. Mudiay and Lyles are in my opinion the difference-maker on whether or not Denver reaches the Finals with this young core.

Emmanuel Mudiay

Mudiay has all of the potential in the world due to his physical characteristics and athleticism. The problem is that Mudiay has been awful with finishing, shooting, and defense. Mudiay constantly gets into the paint and has good court vision, but the negatives far outweigh the positives. For instance, Mudiay pulled up off the dribble for a jump shot 154 times and shot 28.2%. The worst on the team. Although, Mudiay did shoot 53 percent on catch and shoot jumpers (35.8 percent from the three).

However, in a way Mudiay has been set up to fail. During his rookie year Mudiay was given the keys to the franchise, but that was too difficult for a young rookie who didn't play in college. Furthermore, in the beginning of the 2016-2017 season Mudiay was in lineups that played to his weaknesses and had little spacing.

Ultimately, Mudiay got benched and lost his starting role in January. It was a wake up call, and I hope that Mudiay responds accordingly. From what Mudiay has said and done, I think that's the case. Regardless, Mudiay still needs to show up this upcoming year in games and show improvement. This season will dictate Mudiay's future in Denver. Will Mudiay ever reach the high expectations that came with being drafted seventh overall---an all-star? Is Mudiay already a bust? Will Mudiay become a starting calibur point guard? Is his future in Denver?

Emmanuel Mudiay Showing Off That Brand New & Improved Shot! Dominating Elite Runs

Trey Lyles

Trey Lyles had a good rookie campaign, but his sophomore year was a disaster. Lyles is supposedly a good shooter, even though he didn't shoot that well this past year. He also was terrible defensively last year and was careless with the ball. All of this led to Lyles have a minimum contribution to the Jazz playoff team last year. The potential that Lyles has is becoming a mobile stretch-four. Will he resurrect his career in Denver by pulling a Nurkic and blossoming in a different scenario? Is Trey Lyles the future power forward of the Nuggets?

Trey Lyles 30 points SL

Rotation Player(s)

Malik Beasley & Tyler Lydon

I only know that these guys are shooters and will most likely by rotation players. To be determined if they are good defenders in the NBA, although probably not if Summer League taught us anything. Malik Beasley hardly played last year in the NBA, and when he did it was in garbage time. He is athletic and can dunk fairly well. Tyler Lydon is a rookie so he hasn't played in the NBA yet nor does he project to have minutes this upcoming season, but he has good IQ.

Lydon 26 Points vs N. Carolina

Beasley 29 Points in SL

Epilogue

In conclusion, the Nuggets' young core is among the best in the league and has a plethora of promise. These prospects are still very young, so improvement is inevitable. The real question is how much will these young studs improve, and how many stars will this Denver young core generate? Hopefully, the Nuggets resemble the Warriors blueprint to winning a championship.

I am convinced that a rotation of Murray, Garris, Juancho, and Jokic in their prime would be a conference final team, being one piece away from making the Finals. That piece may come from free agency, a trade, or is already in the roster. How great can a rotation of Murray, Garris, Juancho, and Jokic become?

Thanks for reading, I appreciate it. Elaborate any thoughts regarding the young core of the Nuggets, and how well you envision these kids to develop in the comments. Answer any of the multiple questions throughout the article. What needs to happen for the Nuggets to win a title in the next five to seven years? Is it realistic? Alright Stiffs, it's time to discuss!

*All stats are courtesy of Synergy and Basketball-Reference.com and are current as of August 1, 2017.