Denver's Clearest Numbers Are About Connection, Not Record
The figures that actually describe this Nuggets roster right now are about how five players share the ball, not about preseason scores.
Denver is 0-0, and nothing from the preseason counts, but last season's numbers already describe the shape of this team: a passing offense built around Jokic, a five-man group that already shares minutes well, and a payroll built as if a long-term deal with Jokic is already in motion. Chicago visits Ball Arena tonight on one day of rest, a schedule gap that will shape this exhibition more than anything that happens in it.
The Five Who Already Share Well
Last season's clearest group was Jokic, Murray, Cameron Johnson, Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones, who outscored opponents by 20.1 points per 100 possessions across 171 minutes together, the largest such margin any Denver five-man unit sustained. That gap reads as a passing result as much as a scoring one: Jokic found teammates, and that group finished what he started. It does not prove the same five will log those minutes again — health and David Adelman's rotation will decide that fresh.
Jokic's Hub, By the Numbers
Jokic averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists last season, the volume that helped Denver finish with the NBA's best offense at 121.2 points per 100 possessions, while Murray added 7.1 assists of his own and shot 43.5 percent from three. Those numbers explain the offense. They say nothing about the defense, which ranked 21st last season and remains the real ceiling on this roster.
A Payroll Already Pricing In a Deal
Denver carries $221.1 million in payroll, above the first apron, with Jokic's $59.0 million salary the largest number on the sheet, trailed by Murray's $50.1 million and Gordon's $33.7 million. Jokic told reporter Bennett Durando in September that he intends to stay beyond his current deal. The payroll already behaves like that is settled; no new contract has actually been reported.
What the Bulls Bring Tonight
Chicago finished last season at a -5.3 scoring margin per 100 possessions, more than ten points worse than Denver's +5.2, and arrives on one day of rest after two games in the past week, against a Nuggets team coming off four days off. Those numbers favor Denver on paper, but this is still an exhibition: it tests who finishes possessions clean, not who wins.
What was Denver's best five-man lineup last season?
Jokic, Murray, Cameron Johnson, Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones, who outscored opponents by 20.1 points per 100 possessions over 171 minutes together, the largest margin of any Nuggets group that played real minutes.
Is Nikola Jokic signing a contract extension?
Not yet. Jokic told reporter Bennett Durando in September that he intends to stay beyond his current deal, but no new contract has been reported, even though Denver's payroll already looks built around one.
