10 greatest Nuggets in franchise history, ranked
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Throughout their history, the Denver Nuggets have been a consistent presence in the postseason, though until very recently of course, that had never translated into the ultimate success. But that hasn’t stopped them being home to some incredibly good NBA players over the course of their more-than-50 years in the league.
Numerous NBA greats have made their names in Denver, with the likes of Alex English and Carmelo Anthony featuring prominently on this list. But unsurprisingly, this list has changed over the past few years and particularly after the previous four seasons, with one name in particular working his way steadily towards the top.
Just a couple years removed from their inaugural NBA championship, these are the 10 greatest Nuggets players in franchise history, ranked.
10. Marcus Camby
The Nuggets have had a number of defensively dominant bigs in their history, and in the early part of this century Marcus Camby became the latest to slot into that category. After a couple of seasons in Toronto and four in New York, the number two pick from the 1996 moved to Denver and had an immediate impact.
In his six seasons with the Nuggets, Camby averaged a double-double, but more impressive racked up three blocks per game. Unsurprisingly, he was twice selected to the All-Defensive First Team and twice to the Second Team, and was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2007, his fifth season with the Nugs.
9. Byron Beck
Byron Beck played one of the most significant roles in the development of pro ball in Colorado, playing for the Nuggets for their first 10 seasons and establishing himself as an all-time great of the franchise in the process.
He played every season of his career in Denver, and though his stats don’t jump off the page, he was a terrific rebounder – he’s ranked third in Nuggets history in that category – and a good enough scorer to have slotted into eighth in career points for Denver. Beck ultimately became the first player to have his jersey number retired by the franchise.
8. Jamal Murray
At the other end of the Denver Nuggets spectrum of history to Beck, Jamal Murray has been one of the most significant – well, the second most significant – players in the Nuggets recent success.
Since the Nuggets drafted him in 2016, his talent has been plain to see, and though it took a few years for it to truly develop and an ACL injury a few years ago cruelly stagnated his growth, he well and truly positioned himself among the franchise’s greats with his performance en route to their first ever championship.
Murray’s phenomenal shooting ability, underrated passing and ability to take his game to another level in the postseason was pivotal to the Nuggets’ championship, and without him, there’s every chance they would still be searching for their first NBA Finals win. He also is far and away the all-time Nuggets leader in made three-pointers.
7. Dan Issel
Dan Issel might have stood at only 6’9″, but that didn’t stop him being a dominant force at the center position during his ten seasons with the Nuggets. During that decade he averaged 20.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists, earning himself three All-Star appearances in the process.
His productivity and longevity with the team has unsurprisingly put him right up there in numerous statistical categories for the Nugs; he’s second in total games played, rebounds, and second in total points (though a certain Serbian is steadily hunting him down).
With him a consistent presence at the five, Denver were never able to make it out of their Conference but made it through to the Conference Semis and Conference Finals on a number of occasions.
6. Lafayette Lever
Known affectionately as Fat Lever, he was an absolute menace at both ends of the floor during his six seasons in Denver. During that time, he averaged 17.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game, and was a major reason that the team made the playoffs every year that he was there.
Lever’s ability at both ends of the floor was highlighted by the fact that during his tenure in Denver, he made both the All-NBA Second Team (in 1987) and the All-Defensive Second Team (in 1988). He is the franchise’s all-time leader for steals, sits third in assists, eighth in points and tenth in rebounds, testament to his ability to stuff the stats sheet in all kinds of ways.
5. Dikembe Mutombo
When Denver selected Dikembe Mutombo with the fourth pick in the 1991 draft, his potential to wreak havoc defensively was plain to see, and though he only played five seasons with the team it’s safe to say that he lived up to expectations.
One of the best shot blockers in the game’s history, Mutombo averaged 12.9 points and 12.3 rebounds in his time with Denver, to go with an incredible 3.8 blocks.
It’s no surprise that he led the league in blocks for three consecutive years between 1994 and 1996, while he was also a three-time All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year and member of the All-Defensive Second Team during his six years in Denver. He’s also the Nuggets’ all-time leader in blocked shots.
4. Carmelo Anthony
For pure entertainment value, Carmelo Anthony could very easily be even higher than this, though the names to come aren’t exactly easy to dislodge. One of the most automatic scorers in league history, ‘Melo averaged nearly 25 points per game during his time with the Nugs, twice averaging more than 28 points over the course of a season.
He was a four-time All-Star during his eight seasons in Denver, and his ability to get hot like few others in history made the Nuggets one of the more watchable teams in the league during his time there.
3. David Thompson
The Nuggets drafted David Thompson with the No. 1 pick in 1975, and he wasted no time showing exactly why. In his first season in the league, Thompson averaged a lazy 26.0 points, 6.3 boards and 3.7 assists per game, and would go on to put up similar numbers over his next five seasons with the Nuggets.
Testament to his ability and the entertainment value which he provided, he was one of Michael Jordan’s idols growing up, with a couple of examples which demonstrate why being his runner-up finish in the inaugural Slam Dunk contest, and a 73-point game in 1978.
2. Alex English
For a long time, Alex English was unequivocally at the top of this list. The man is Denver royalty. After moving to the Nuggets in his fourth season in the league, English went on to terrorize opposing defenses for a decade, averaging 25.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in that time.
He is unsurprisingly all over the Nuggets all-time stats categories; first in games, first in points, first in offensive rebounds, second in assists and fourth in steals. He was an All-Star for eight consecutive seasons during his time with Denver and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.
1. Nikola Jokic
He’s a three-time MVP, a onetime Finals MVP that led the Nuggets to their first ever championship, a seven-time All-Star, a four-time member of the All-NBA First Team and two-time member of the Second Team – and he’s still only 28. Nikola Jokic is the defending NBA MVP and is having a career year.
He is the best player in the world and is rapidly rising up the ranks of the best players to ever play the game. Plenty of players can lay some sort of claim to have revolutionized the game of basketball; a 7’0″ relatively unathletic center who runs the offense and averages 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 9.8 assists en route to a championship is right up there in that list.
Nikola Jokic can puppeteer a game like very few, if any, others in history, and by the end of his career will not just be high up in the list of greatest ever Nuggets; he’ll be one of the greatest ever to play the game.
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