Denver Won 54 in 1988 With Connectors. This Team Needs the Same
Denver's best seasons without a title came from fit more than from stars, and the five Denver trusted most last season has already lost a piece.
In 1987-88, Denver traded Kiki Vandeweghe's scoring for three role players and won 54 games. Last season's team also won 54, and its best lineups were built the same way, so the changes to those lineups are the real question at Oklahoma City.
What did the Lever trade teach?
Under Doug Moe's motion offense, Denver once scored 100 points in 136 straight games, and Alex English and Kiki Vandeweghe each averaged more than 25 a night. Then the club traded Vandeweghe for Fat Lever, Calvin Natt and Wayne Cooper. It paired them with the defenders Bill Hanzlik and T.R. Dunn and won 54 games in 1987-88. Denver gave up one player's points and got five players who connected. Lever's number was retired on December 2, 2017, during a win over the Lakers.
The 54 that matter now
Last season's 54-28 team ran on the same logic. Its best group put Watson and Spencer Jones next to Murray, Johnson and Jokic, and it outscored opponents by 20.1 points per 100 possessions over 171 minutes. Watson is not on this roster. The core five that remains, Gordon and Braun with Jokic, Murray and Johnson, was +13.5 in a small sample. That group now carries the continuity, and a passing offense depends on continuity.
Where DeRozan fits the lesson
DeMar DeRozan signed on September 8 for one year and $3.9 million after averaging 18.4 points last season. He is the kind of scorer the 1987-88 team moved on from. He doesn't need to be Vandeweghe. The question is whether he can play within groups built on Jokic's passing instead of beside them. Jones matters here too. He shot 39.6 percent on threes last season, his hamstring has kept him on the injury report with an estimated return of October 22, and RealGM reported he should be ready for the opener. Julian Strawther's left knee sprain carries an estimated return of November 29.
Why Oklahoma City is the test
Thursday's opener is at Oklahoma City. The Thunder went 64-18 last season with a 106.5 defensive rating and eliminated Denver in the second round in both 2023-24 and 2024-25. On this date in 2022, in the season that ended with the title, Denver won 128-123 at Golden State. The 1987-88 Nuggets showed that a team without a superstar could win 54 by fitting together. This team has Jokic. What it has to rebuild is the familiarity that made last season's best groups work.
When do the Nuggets open the 2026-27 season?
Denver opens on October 22 at Oklahoma City, on ESPN. The Thunder eliminated the Nuggets in the second round in each of the past two postseasons.
Will Spencer Jones play in the Nuggets' season opener?
Jones has a hamstring issue, and his estimated return is October 22, the date of the opener. RealGM reported he is expected to be ready.
