2023-24 NBA preview: Northwest Division

Defending champion Nuggets

The season is on!

Here are its previews.

DENVER

C: Nikola Jokic — amazing that the same arms Jokic uses for all this …

… he also uses for that Turtle Defense of his.
F: Aaron Gordon — cut back on three-pointers last season, cut back on turnovers, cut back on making free throws (61 percent), kept passing, kept defending, invaluable to an all-time title winner and one of the biggest reasons they’ll have stellar odds at back-to-back.
F: Michael Porter Jr. — critical (40 percent three-point shooting, only 68 turnovers) during the regular season buildup, superfluous during the postseason, crucial to the title defense. Marvelous to see his back healthy enough to play.
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — well over 40 percent from deep his last three seasons, only 30 but will be awfully difficult to replace.
PG: Jamal Murray — played as if he didn’t miss a second in spite of how harrowing the last few years must have been.