Inside The Nuggets

Denver Nuggets NBA Champion Made Big Physical Change

The Nuggets will have different lineup options this season.
Joey Linn|
Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) and center Nikola Jokic (15) against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Arena.
Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) and center Nikola Jokic (15) against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Arena. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

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Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets have had the same starting lineup for the last two seasons.

Jamal Murray, Kentavious-Caldwell Pope, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic played 958 minutes together last season, which made them the most used five-man lineup in the NBA. This lineup finished third in total minutes the season prior, helping lead the Nuggets to their first championship in franchise history.

With Caldwell-Pope joining the Orlando Magic in NBA free agency, Denver is expected to move 23-year-old guard Christian Braun into the starting lineup. While he is not the shooting threat Caldwell-Pope is, Braun has intriguing defensive upside the Nuggets are excited about.

This change to the starters is not the only lineup adjustment the Nuggets expect to undergo this season, as head coach Michael Malone recently told reporters the team wants to use Porter more at the power forward spot this season.

Via Nuggets content specialist Matt Brooks: “Michael Malone says that the Nuggets want to use Michael Porter Jr. at the 4 more this year. He’s added more muscle in preparation for the new positional responsibilities, going from 218 to 237 pounds.”

Adding nearly 20 pounds in one offseason is a major physical change for Porter, and one that could allow him to spend more time at power forward.

With the addition of Russell Westbrook, it could certainly make sense for Denver to look at lineup combinations with Porter sliding up one position to give the dynamic point guard more spacing.

Russell Westbrook and Michael Porter Jr.
Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook (0) and Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) at Crypto.com Arena. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

This is a versatile Nuggets team that projects to be near the top of the Western Conference again this season.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.

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