Unable to defend their NBA title, Nuggets duo Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic ready to lead new quest

Updated Sep. 26, 2024 6:05 p.m. ET

Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — A couple of things gleaned from Thursday's media day for the Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic can grow a first-rate beard/goatee, Jamal Murray has aspirations to be an MMA fighter and Aaron Gordon held one impressive yard sale this summer as he cleaned out his closet.

Oh, and that not defending their crown sat well with absolutely no one. They're eager to scale that NBA mountaintop again only with a different look. Gone are Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Jackson. Brought in are Russell Westbrook and Dario Saric.

Of course, there are the mainstays in Jokic, now a three-time NBA MVP, and Murray, who's fresh off signing a 4-year, $208M max contract extension. The Nuggets are coming off a season in which they tied the franchise's NBA record for wins (57) only to be eliminated in the second-round of the playoffs to Minnesota. Denver squandered a 20-point second-half lead in Game 7 at home.

“After a season where everybody says we failed, it’s my job to make sure that we don’t believe all that (expletive),” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone, who guided the team to their first NBA championship in 2022-23. “We’re a good team. The last six years, no one in the West has come close to doing what we’ve done. Remind yourself of that, but also challenge yourself to not be satisfied. Push yourself and push your teammate to become even better."

The time is now

Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth estimated that Jokic has a 10-year prime contention window and they're about halfway through it.

“You hit one of them it's great,” Booth said. “It's going to be incredibly hard to win another one.”

On the docket for Booth, negotiating a contract extension with Gordon, which he can do starting Friday. Gordon is coming off a season in which he averaged 13.9 points and 6.5 rebounds in his do-a-little-bit-of-everything role.

“I really love this organization,” Gordon said. “I hope we get it done.”

Gordon switched his jersey to No. 32 this season to honor his brother, Drew, who died four months ago in car crash in Oregon. Aaron Gordon said his teammates helped him through it.

“These guys have been there for me every step of the way,” Gordon said. “These guys have really developed into people that I would call my brothers.”

Yard sale

Gordon has long been a fan favorite. That was evident when he opened up his wardrobe to fans this summer. His pop-up event was well received.

“Just a yard sale,” he cracked. “It just happened to get a little out of hand. It's a great community. They've accepted me and I'm just grateful for it."

On Thursday, Murray wasn't exactly in an expansive mood during his time at the podium, but he did reveal his affection for mixed martial arts. He worked out with former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

“I might have a career there after this,” said Murray, who struggled for Team Canada over the summer at the Paris Games. “But I’m doing this right now.”

Dynamic duo

Murray forms quite an on-court partnership with Jokic, who showed up with a beard/goatee he's already contemplating nixing. Jokic enters training camp on the high of helping Serbia to an Olympic bronze medal in Paris. He has already picked up his first assist of the year, too, by playing a role in bringing Westbrook to town.

“Great, great player for us," said Jokic, who earned his third NBA MVP award in four seasons after a regular season averaging 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and nine assists. "He's going to bring us all the good stuff.”

Westbrook joined the Nuggets in an effort to capture the one thing missing from his distinguished resume — a title.

“As long as we as a team put our best foot forward, we can live with the results," Westbrook said. "If it's a championship, I'm grateful for that. If it's not, I'm also grateful for the opportunity.”

Media day fun

Westbrook was in a jovial mood Thursday, playfully mimicking Murray’s signature “Blue Arrow” pose as Murray took pictures. It brought a grin to Murray.

That's just Westbrook's personality.

“People confuse intensity with competitiveness,” Westbrook said. “When I’m on the floor, I don’t want to be walking around, shaking hands, kissing babies. I'm there to kick some (butt). Of the floor, I'm chill."

Notes: Altitude announced a deal to offer Nuggets and Avalanche games through a streaming app along with a handful of games on local broadcasts. Altitude TV has been in a long-running dispute with Comcast, the state’s largest cable provider, which has not carried Altitude since their previous deal expired in 2019. ... The contenders to join Murray, Jokic, Michael Porter Jr. and Gordon in the starting lineup appear to be Christian Braun and Julian Strawther. ... Porter, who's had back issues in the past, took advantage of a healthy offseason by getting in even more work on the court.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba