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Nuggets primed to join Warriors and Bucks as third-straight homegrown success story

By Peter O'Keefe

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 27: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors hugs Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets after Game Five of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Chase Center on April 27, 2022 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 27: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors hugs Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets after Game Five of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Chase Center on April 27, 2022 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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The Denver Nuggets hold a 1-0 lead over the Miami Heat ahead of Game 2 of the Finals on Sunday, with the franchise looking to join the Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks as the last three NBA champions.

Having been the top team in the Western Conference since December, there’s plenty of similarities between the roster construction of this season’s Nuggets, and that of the 2021 Bucks and 2022 Warriors.

The Denver Nuggets are primed to join the Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks as homegrown success stories over the last three seasons.

Nuggets’ superstar Nikola Jokic unsurprisingly controlled Game 1 with a 27-point triple double, with the 28-year-old Serbian attempting to join a couple of other two-time MVP’s in putting his imprint on recent Finals’ matchups.

Denver’s system centers around a generational homegrown talent, just like Golden State with Stephen Curry in 2022, and the Bucks with Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021. For all the speculation that comes with trade and free agency, it’s an ode to the idea that drafting a superstar is the best pathway.

Nikola Jokic and Stephen Curry battle during the 2022 Western Conference first-round matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Nikola Jokic and Stephen Curry battle during the 2022 Western Conference first-round matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

But the superstar element isn’t the only similarity in these squads. The Nuggets’ best three players, or at least their highest paid, were each drafted to the franchise (Jokic, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. It comes 12 months after the Warriors were led to another championship behind the decade-long core of Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.

It’s no coincidence that these teams have held a sense of continuity that gives them a distinct advantage. That’s particularly the case for Denver this season as they rolled through the West amid a plethora of teams who although talented, faced large periods of instability.

That’s not to say they didn’t take advantage of the trade avenue. This season’s version of Aaron Gordon has followed a similar career trajectory to that of Andrew Wiggins 12 months ago. Both talented high lottery picks who spent the start of their journeys as main options on losing teams, they’ve transitioned themselves into elite defensive players and highly-valuable pieces to championship-contending teams. While Jrue Holiday may have been an All-Star before his time in Milwaukee, that’s another example of these franchise’s trading for the right player at the right time.

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It remains to be seen if Denver can kick on to their first NBA championship — Miami’s resilience has in itself been an historic story on their path from the Eastern Conference’s eighth-seed. But if the Nuggets can complete the crown, then it continues to show a very clear method on how to build a championship team.

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