This story originally appeared in Mile High Sports Magazine. View the full digital edition.
In some ways, the winter and spring of 2013 don’t feel all that long ago.
Rahim Moore misjudging a fly ball like a little leaguer who didn’t eat his Frosted Flakes is still plastered in Denver’s mind like it was yesterday. That happened on Jan. 12; a cruel way for Denver sports fans to start a new year and end a football season.
The Nuggets brilliant comeback attempt against the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA playoffs feels like a decade ago. It actually happened after Rahim’s nightmare.
A Nuggs layup rimmed out with 12 seconds left, trailing 90-88, on May 2. The furious rally from down 18 with 8:20 to go fell just short. The loss ended Denver’s run in the first round (again) and it was the last game George Karl ever coached for the Nuggets.
It’s been two long seasons since then and the Nuggets roster has been nuked (or so it feels) after they bombed on the court. Gone are staples on that 57-win team like Andre “The Mole” Iguodala, Kosta Koufos, Andre Miller, Corey Brewer, JaVale McGee, Ty Lawson and Timofey Mozgov. In are players with big time potential like Emmanuel Mudiay and Jusuf Nurkic.
But you want to know a dirty little secret? Sixty percent of the 2015-16 Nuggets projected starters (or guys who could very well start) played key roles on the record-setting 2012-13 team.
What if I told you three of the top six scorers from that squad, including the top rebounder and the best three point shooter, were all still here (30 for 30 voice)?
Danilo Gallinari is back to his old self and got paid, Kenneth Faried is re-focused and Wilson Chandler has a sneaky-good stroke. And all those guys were real contributors on the Nuggets’ best NBA team, in terms of regular season wins, ever.
Let’s look at what The Manimal, Gallo, and Ill Wil did that year, and let’s offer some realistic projections and expectations for this one.
Kenneth Faried
2012-13
- Led team with a career high 9.2 rebounds per game, including 3.3 offensively
- Averaged a block and a steal a game while shooting more than 55 percent from the floor
- Played a little more than 28 minutes per game, the most in his NBA tenure
2015-16
- Needs to finally hit 10-plus rebounds per game, a realistic goal
- Should come close to averaging a double-double each night
- If he does come off bench as an “energy guy,” could win Sixth Man of the Year
Danilo Gallinari
2012-13
- Thrived in first full season in Denver with a career high 16.2 points per game
- Shot 37.3 percent from distance and a very solid 82.2 percent from the line
- Suffered a devastating knee injury April 4 that cost him nearly two seasons
2015-16
- Finally fully healthy and confident, must build off late 2014 success
- Will likely need to be the Nuggets’ leading scorer at around 20-22 PPG
- All-Star potential if he thrives in Michael Malone’s system as the true No. 1 scoring option
Wilson Chandler
2012-13
- Only healthy for 43 games but put up 13 points and five boards a night off the bench
- Led the team with an extremely solid 41.3 percent clip from downtown
- Played 34.2 minutes per game in the aforementioned Warriors series
2015-16
- Will be Nuggets’ second-best scoring option while playing the two or the three
- Could crack the top 15 in the NBA in three-point shooting percentage
- Signed a four-year extension worth $46.5 million and must earn those dollars