I was at the Nuggets-Suns game last Friday, a game in which the Nuggets lost by seven points, and as the fourth quarter began, a sizable chunk of the crowed started to filter towards the exits.

“Gotta beat the traffic,” I heard a handful of fans say.

Traffic? Traffic?? There were maybe 10,000 fans in the entire Pepsi Center. What traffic do you think there’s going to be?

At the time, not only were the Nuggets winning, but Emmanuel Mudiay was well on his way towards the best game of his young career. Why come to the game if you don’t want to watch a close fourth quarter; literally, that’s the best part.

The only explanation I can come up with is that Nuggets fans have quit. And while I’d say they’ve already moved on to next season, I’m not sure that’s true, either. Honestly, they seem to be checked out for good.

I’ve already written about how Nuggets fans are doing this team a disservice by giving up on them right when they need our support the most; we’ve already been through how the Nuggets are currently sporting the league’s worst attendance — even more embarrassing given that the 0-15 Philadelphia 76ers are still, in fact, an NBA franchise. So I’m not going to waste my time pleading for those fair-weather fans (if you can even call them that) to come back down to the Pepsi Center and root for the Denver Nuggets; they probably wouldn’t even read it anyways.

Instead, I want to talk to you diehards, the real fans, and explain why now is not the time to fade away.

Yes, the Nuggets have lost four straight games and five of their last six, but if you’re judging this season on wins and losses in November, you’re missing the point. Remember, this is a team that was predicted to win 26.5 games by the all-knowing prognosticators in Vegas; the fact that they’re even close to the playoff discussion should be considered a major achievement.

We’re not watching the Nuggets so we can see them dethrone the Warriors; we’re watching the Nuggets to see Emmanuel Mudiay cross up Stephen Curry and go for 26 against the Suns.

If these Denver Nuggets are going to be a great team, the type of team that can bring back those so-called fans, then consider this their toddler phase. And everybody loves a good toddler, right? There are going to be nights where they surprise us with their potential, and there are going to be nights where we realize just how far away they are from being a mature product; either way, it’ll be fun.

So don’t get frustrated when the Nuggets drop four in a row or fall out of the playoff conversation; they’re not supposed to be there. And don’t turn off the TV when the Clippers pull ahead in the fourth quarter, and don’t leave the Pepsi Center when Steph Curry goes off on a nationally televised game on ESPN.

Stay, watch and root for the next generation of Nuggets basketball. This is not the time to give up on the Denver Nuggets.