The Ultimate Nuggets Team
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- čas přidán 10. 06. 2024
- In this series, I assemble what I believe is the greatest team possible for each franchise. In this specific video, we're looking at the Denver Nuggets.
5 starters, 5 backups, and 3 rotations players. A total of 13 roster spots on each Ultimate Team. It's not just about talent, but it's about building a team that works and gels together.
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The game of Basketball has been my passion since I was 5 years old. I grew up as a kid watching my dad's recorded VHS tapes of playoff games through the 70s and 80s, and collected all the Basketball cards. Something about the game and what it represents just hooked me from a very young age.
My love for the game only continues to grow as time goes on. I love studying and analyzing the game, with an unbiased perspective. Feel free to subscribe, follow me on social media, and celebrate this amazing game and it's rich history with me!
I post videos every week on NBA history, predictions, hypothetical scenarios and current NBA topics.
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Intro Music: Turn On - RW Smith • Turn On - RW Smith (No...
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#nba #basketball #hoops - Sport
West Playoffs for the Ultimate Nuggets?? The competition is getting TOUGH.
Talk about John brisker
The Ultimate Nuggets team's best chance at making the playoffs would be the play-in path. Their single best asset is Mile-High Denver.
It does seem like the right move to have Melo as the PF to keep both Thompson and English in the starting line-up.
Dan Issel is the 2nd best Player on Nuggets franchise..
They're a play-in team, probably an 8/9 seed
This team is deep, some of the snubs are disconcerting, but can't really be argued for
Carmelo is gonna be so mad when Jokic is the one wearing 15 on this roster 🤣
Melo can wear 7 which he wore everywhere else in his career
Jokic wouldn't even care if he doesnt wear 15 tbf
@@benshabsels1600exacly, but melo is gonna bitch and moan anyway
@@SoggySlopsterthat's the thing. Melo in his head thinks he was the best nugget before Jokic and did too much for the franchise. He didnt even have a better Nugget stint than Lever or English.
😭😭
On this team Jokic would not have to be responsible for scoring. He could average 20 assists per game.
If I’m gonna be honest they need AG on this team though. He’s probably Jokic’s best friend, so having him there would be a great morale boost
Jokic probably won't bother leaving the defensive end of the court English, Melo, or Thompson will have scored off his outlet pass.
Also, expect some Jokic-Mutombo frontcourt minutes and just sits the cold shooter.
@@khaitranngoc4176billups and murray in the perimeter and jokic and mutumbo in the paint sounds so unfair
@@adg9042 sound good and then it becomes a game of selecting the hot SF.
Initially I was going to write this team off as... all offense no defense. And the starting lineup is hopelessly bad on defense.
BUT once you see the whole roster with good and great defenders like Mutombo, Bobby Jones, Chauncey Billups, Fat Lever and Marcus Camby... you realise there are a lot of creative lineups you could run depending on the opposition where you can balance out some defensive and offensive talent to keep up with the opposing team.
Example 1: Murray, Thompson, Melo, B. Jones, Jokic
Example 2: Billups, Murray, English, B. Jones, Jokic
Example 3: Billups, Murray, Thompson, Mutombo and Jokic with an Iverson/Issel/Camby combo off the bench to keep the offensive - defensive balance.
Example 4: Fat Lever, Thompson, English, Melo and Mutombo would be an interesting mix with both perimeter and rim defense and with plenty of scoring.
Best lineup for the old school era
PG Fat Lever
SG David Thompson
SF Alex English
PF Nikola Jokic
C Dikembe Mutombo
Best lineup for the modern era
PG Jamal Murray
SG David Thompson
SF Alex English
PF Dan Issel
C Nikola Jokic
For people wondering why Melo isn't in the lineup is because his game isn't compatible with team basketball. The recipe to give your perimeter player 30 shots a game isn't a winning recipe in basketball unless you are Jordan or close to that level.
Melo would disrupt the team's offense, chemistry, defense and playmaking.
Love this team! Marcus Camby is so darn underrated. Shocked Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf didnt make the cut.
Definitely gonna go back through this series once it's complete and see who I think comes out with the best team, really fun series and video idea 👍
Facts...so far the best rosters have been celtics 76ers and lakers and rockets...
I'm not a Nuggets fan, but Jamal Murray is one of my favorite players in the league, and I'm so glad he and Jokic got at least one ring and solidified their numbers going into the rafters one day. I have a feeling he's going to represent the franchise in the media since Jokic will live a quiet life
Crazy how he’s already 30 and has never been an all star
he's 26, not 30
@@SoggySlopster he also doesn't play that well in the regular season relative to the playoffs, he definitely plays like a star when it matters the most
@@jw-ws8dzI think if he succeeds in the payoffs consistently he's gonna be the Jimmy butler of all stars. Doesn't do anything crazy in the regular season but spazzes in the playoffs
Ty Lawson was one of my favorite players from 09-2014.
Months ago, I believe on your ultimate bucks video I commented saying I couldn't wait for the nuggets all time team, and that I thought we would disagree. And for the most part, I was right. I'd love feedback if you see this
for my all time team, it's based largely around the fact that Jokic is FAR AND AWAY the best player to ever don the nuggets jersey, so maximising his strengths while minimising his weaknesses is the way to go IMO. The best recipe for Jokic is a ton of size, length and athleticism around him that have good hands and spreads the floor. Now, the nuggets as a franchise haven't exactly been blessed with all time great 2 way stars, but I think my team blends as much of the best of both worlds as possible.
at PG, obviously I have Jamal. Not only is he large for a PG at 6'4, but he's a top 50 3 point shooter of all time (being conservative), is incredibly clutch, is a solid defender and despite his ACL injury, is still a good athlete
at SG, I have David Thompson, in this role he is our POA defender, so his offensive might take a hit, but he did have some range and as long as he makes smart cuts and uses his athleticism, he'll still get his.
at SF, a controversial take here and a long read, I'm going with MPJ. Obviously talent wise, English and Melo clear, but again, the goal is to maximise Jokic so that he can maximise his teammates. With Melo, despite him being a nuggets legend, fit wise he was a terribly lazy defender and had major ego problems. Offensively, for the most part we want the ball in either Jokic or Jamal's hands, and the Sf for this team regardless of who we choose is gonna have to be ok largely being relegated to being a spot up shooter and slasher, there is only one ball and not enough touches to indulge melo. As for english, his midrange game was unstobable, but he didn't have the 3 game MPJ does, and we want as much spacing as possible for the Jokic jamal 2 man game to thrive. As for defense, MPJ has become a solid defender, EASILY better than English or Melo ever were (Melo was good when he tried, but again, "when he tried" is carrying a lot of weight there). + MPJ is a very solid rebounder at his position and if spacing becomes an issue, he can slide to the 4. and, a small fact that may seem insignificant, but I believe has a huge effect on this team, when MPJ shoots a jumper, his release point is the second highest release point in the entire league currently behind only Victor Wembanyama (per Adam Mares of DNVR). so not only is MPJ a 3 point spacer, he is also essentially a vertical spacer as well, which to me at least has been noticeable.
at the PF, again, not an all time great, but I have Aaron Gordon. There might be "better" options, but he has so many tools that help bring the best out of Jokic and the nuggets, not to mention there is a great reason he has been named "Mr.Nugget" by the fanbase, he's one of the best moral boosting teammates I've seen in my years of watching the NBA. But as for on court stuff, he's slightly small at only 6'8, but he has a 7'1 wingspan and is such an absurd athlete that he can easily contend with 7 footers. What makes him special is his defensive versatility. Just last playoffs he guarded everyone from Anthony Edwards to KD and Lebron, Jimmy and everyone in between. On offense though, he is an amazing lob threat and his ability to spread the floor vertically makes him dangerous with Jokic pulling attention from everyone in the paint. Not to mention he is a great passer for his position (I'd say top 10 passers at the power forward position currently). He isn't great as a shooter, but the spacing that Jokic, Jamal and MPJ provide along with David Thmospson being a good midrange shooter should be fine.
Center is obviously Jokic, no explanation needed
Backup PG I chose Chauncey, basically the same reasoning as you gave
Backup SG I chose KCP, he's such a crazy good 3 and D POA defender, and obviously he would slot perfectly with the starters
Backup SF I chose English, he's an all time great and he could carry a large load for the bench scoring
Backup PF I chose Bobby Jones, again, same reasoning you gave
and Backup C, this one is my next most controversial take. IMO, Mutumbo, while one of the greatest defenders of all time, is also one of the worst offensive players I have ever seen, As for Camby, he would easily be my next choice, BUT, I think I would actually rather have Nene for a bit more offense off the bench. Nene (particularly after the melo trade) became a good defender and was extremely agile for his size, he was 6'11 and 260, but moved like a 6'7 mobile wing. On offense, his game was similar to a less talented and less passionate KG. He had a dominant post game and was also an elite long midrange shooter, and as for his playmaking, he was right up there with KG. I think paring him with Alex english and 3 really good defenders is a recipe for success, and he would slot into the starting lineup/staggered lineup much better than Mutumbo or camby
reserve #1, I'll take Andre Miller, he was a good vet who is IMO a top 5 player ever to not make an all-star game
reserve #2, I'll take Camby. He wasn't as good defensively as Mutumbo, but he wasn't useless on offense
Reserve #3, I'll take Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, he was undersized, but was steph curry before steph curry and was a huge reason the nuggets were one of the 10 teams to beat the 96 bulls, and his career would have been much greater if he hadn't been sacked by the league for petty politics
I know many will disagree with not taking Melo for talent reasons, but IMO, chemistry is far more important than talent, and frankly, an offense with Jokic, Jamal and MPJ is already EXTREMELY potent, and I personally don't see the need to make it better at the expense of ball movement, defense and chemistry. Also, a lot of "newer guys" were chosen over older generation players, and that's not a knock on them, but moreso that Jokic thrives more with modern skillsets imo
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who was teammates with Dikembe Mutombo, was a very strong point guard.
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf is an underrated NBA player.
K Mart would definitely bring some missing defensive versatility. and Dale Ellis' ability to spread the floor would be useful. a young JR Smith could even help this team as a solid 3 and D player
Thats what i said too
The only downside is defense. This might be the best offensive team you've done in this series
Yea, unless you move jokic to point forward and have mutombo as Center
@@MrE_i was thinking to bench jamal murray and have chauncy billups or fat lever take the pg for perimeter defense
@@MrE_there is no such position as a point forward.
Stop it 😂
@@jimmykarlsson2567Magic Johnson says hi.
For defense, Bill Hanzlik and Warren Jabali.
As a nuggets fan I still feel like jr smith deserved a rotation spot on this list
I came here to say the same thing
He was a hard one to snub, I love JR, but he was incredibly volatile and 0there are other options that make more sense imo
I think JR & Kenyon Martin should be there
That starting 5 is all offense no defence. I might've tried twin towers with Jokic and Mutombo.
Or Bobby as starting PF. Either way, I'm fine with Carmelo on the bench.
@@c99kfmnah nuggets melo should never be on the bench
Great video, Jonny! The starting 5 of Jokic, English, Melo, Skywalker, and Murray would bring high octane offense and such a difficult lineup to defend.
I like the bench backcourt also. Billups and Iverson would be a fun guard combo.
They are so deep at the 3 esp with English and Vandeweghe (and how Melo could play SF).
I agree that Mutombo, Jones, Camby, and Lever bring some much needed defense.
I learned more about Issel, Jones, and Lever from this video (I did not know much about them before).
Great video again :) Have a good week!
Abdul-Raul is hard to leave off this team. He’s a proto-Steph Curry range wise.
This team’s closing lineup would be weird, because I think at least one of those defensive specialists should be closing.
Always a good Sunday when my guy uploads a video ❗️
Love the series
Love this series
Also why does it say ur doing the mavs in the description lmao
Lmao. Because of copy and pasting without checking 🤣 My bad, I'll fix it right now
I can't wait for the simulation.
This team is a pleasant surprise. I loved English when I was a kid. His simplicity was so good to watch.
It might just be because this is when I grew up but prime Ty Lawson was a beast
The starting lineup needs more defense, I'd put Bobby Jones at PF instead of Carmelo
My thoughts exactly. There is more than enough scoring/offense already with Murray, Thompson, English and Jokic. Defensive PF sorely needed if Jokic is starting.
and melo instead of english
@@radu_nedelcutBobby Jones or Mutumbo starting at PF wouldn’t be bad. could also replace murray with chauncey billups for the perimeter defense
Best lineup for the old school era
PG Fat Lever
SG David Thompson
SF Alex English
PF Nikola Jokic
C Dikembe Mutombo
Best lineup for the modern era
PG Jamal Murray
SG David Thompson
SF Alex English
PF Dan Issel
C Nikola Jokic
For people wondering why Melo isn't in the lineup is because his game isn't compatible with team basketball. The recipe to give your perimeter player 30 shots a game isn't a winning recipe in basketball unless you are Jordan or close to that level.
Melo would disrupt the team's offense, chemistry, defense and playmaking.
Keep it coming love this series
on paper, the team is insane!
Starting lineup doesn't have much defence
agreed. I'd bench Melo and start Jones or Camby (seeing a duo Jokic Camby would be interesting I reckon).
Good time to drop this video 🤣
Great video!! Keep up the good work!!
With these teams you should select the coach. For this team. I selected the great Doug moe! Lol
Such a high quality series
Jokic gonna average 3 shots and 30 assists per game😂
Haha so true.
Hopefully, you keep doing this! This series is my favorite series
Please keep making these all time videos. I look forward to each one so much!
Good stuff.
You are the most underated nba yt
This is probably the most potent offense you've constructed. Little worried about defense, but man would they he fun to watch in a shootout.
WOW! This team is way better than I expected. I still like the Lakers as the 1 and the Warriors, Rockets, and Spurs as 2-4 in some order. I now how to rethink the rest though. After seeing the rosters, the Kings, Mavericks, and Nuggets rosters I see them as playoff teams and if Sonics players are allowed on the Thunder roster then the Thunder are too. That's the 5-8. I'd previously thought of the Jazz and Suns as ultimate playoff teams but they may have to settle for 9-10 and hope the ultimate team league has a play in tournament format. The scoring punch of starting lineup is obvious. Thompson, English, and Anthony by themselves would be explosive and then you add Jokic and Murray and their own scoring as well as passing abilities. This isn't a great defensive starting five although Jokic does give you rebounds but they would win a lot of 164-163 games. And if you did want to have more defense at a given point in time, Mutombo, Lever, Jones, and Camby provide plenty of it off the bench and Billups is underrated as a defender. I'd probably play Billups over Murray in crunch time because of his "Mr. Big Shot. Clutchness." This roster probably has surpassed my expectations the most of any so far in this series.
Your channel is incredible.
Let's gooo!!!!
I absolutely love this roster so much as a NC State fan. I was looking forward to this with the obvious David Thompson inclusion.
You’ll probably have some pull for Mahmoud but I understand why you do not include him with the need to bring in the defense
Very very well done this will be a good team for sure
I hope whenever you do this on 2K it can be available for download on PS4 but unfortunately I know David Thompson is always criminally underrated on that game 🤷♂️
Nothing to change, it's a well built roster. A good honorable mention could have been Chris "Birdman" Anderson. Despite his short minutes in Denver, he was one of the better blockers in the league
Hey Jonny, once you do all 30 teams, will you pick which 16 teams make the playoffs and do a series by series analysis to determine the Ultimate Champs?
Interesting idea, that would be nice
up
Tbh my first 5 would be PG: Chauncey, SG: Murray, SF: Melo, PF: Joker, C: Camby so you can space like crazy with great facilitating and solid defense. Have English and AI on the second unit for breakaway scoring.
Ayyeee it's back!!! You're welcome 😂
As a 90s and 00s fan I would definitely put Antonio McDyess on the team. The team was struggling but he was a talent on the level of Shawn Kemp or Kevin Garnett. Playing on bad teams in his prime and subsequent injuries really didn't help him develop into an NBA superstar put he had the talent to do so. He's a bit forgotten because he was a PF in the golden age of Power Forwards but just look at his highlights.
FINALLY we r back!!!!
This team is way more stacked then I realized it would be. I could rotations where Jokic moves to the 4 Mutumbo comes in for the center duties if they need some defense.
Also this team is possibly scoring 150 every single night and that is scary.
Jonny can u do a video on how the Jazz has been able to execute such a good rebuild despite trading away their best players but still playing like a top team and still with future draft picks in hand
Leaving Adul-Rauf off was a mistake but they also have a ton of scoring so I get it. Not enough defense even with the strong front line guys. They would give up 120 a night with 90s rules lol
Well... you put my boy K Mart in the honorable mentions.. so i can't be too upset.... great team... I've been loving this series btw
This Nuggets team is insane, wpuld hate for any team have to go uo against them in 7
🏀
This team has a nightmare amount of firepower!
This team is an offensive tour de force and not too shabby on defence either.
Hope this includes the Skywalker
This is crazy I was just saying yesterday it’s amazing Jamal Murray isn’t even on the all time team for the nuggets on NBA2k
YES.
Fat Lever, Skywalker, Alex English, Dan Issel, and Joker gotta be my starting 5
This HAS to be simulated in 2K
Love that my Nuggets are getting their shine, but no Iggy is criminal especially with the lack of defense 😢😂❤
Murray, Thompson, Melo, B. Jones and Jokic for me.
There is more than enough offense so the defense of Jones is sorely needed. In fact playing Jokic all but demands a defensive big man alongside him: either Jones or Mutombo.
The real question is who stays and who goes to the bench between Melo and Alex English.
The ultimate Nuggets team is the most current one. They don't need no Melo 😂
PG Billups
SG David Thompson
SF Alex English
PF Carmelo Anthony
C Jokic
PG Fat Lever
SG Jamal Murray
SF Ralph Simpson
PF Bobby Jones
C Dikembe Mutombo
11 Marcus Camby
12 Dan Issel
13 Ty Lawson
Aaron Gordan hornbill mention too Good team
Johnny, next you should make rosters using each draft class. My money is on 1984!
Do a list of your top 5 or so players that you would be best suited to play in any era and still be a all star type player
Jonny - I have a question about the methodology you will use when doing the simulation head-to-head matchups. Will you be selecting the best season the player had for the team he is playing? For example, take Shaq. Will you take his best year on Orlando when he is on that team? Then when he’s representing the Lakers take his best season as a Laker?
On a separate note. I know your all-time Portland team is coming up….don’t overlook my favorite Blazer Maurice Lucas. Every team needs an enforcer and Mo was the OG.
Finally someone recognizes Fat Kever
Wow, this team would average over 150 points per game even in the 90's !!!
You could play Mutombo and Jokic at the same time, Mutombo can play the Araron Gordan role, because Gordan does the dunks and he also plays the defense to help in Jokic flaw at Defense.
I disagree, Mutumbo is such a liability on offense. AG provides at least a tiny bit of spacing, and he's a good passer and playmaker, not to mention he has much better hands and can switch onto smaller guys on the perimeter, something Mutumbo couldn't reliably do
the thing I really like is that, apart from Mutombo, all the players can play in different positions, and having a center like Jokic this makes spacing on the court much easier, offensively this team is a nightmare for anyone
Joker, Alex English my brother has he's Jersey, David Thompson, Melo, Jamal Murray all can hitThree-Pointers. Two defensive players of the year with Big Shot and Fat Lever. I version's chemistry with Dikemebe Mutombo, and with Joker. Kiki offensive looks.
I think it would be better if there's no duplicate players in every team. Only one team for one player.
Murray
David Thompson
English
Melo
Jokic
Andre Miller
Lever
VanDeWeghe
Issel
Camby
Abdul-Rauf
Laphonso Ellis
Nene
REMOVE:
Billups (Pistons)
AI (76ers)
Mutombo (Hawks)
Bobby Jones (76ers)
This team is gonna hit so many J’s
Starters = Murray, Thompson, English, Anthony, Jokic. Bench = Abdul Rauf, Lever, Vandeweghe, Issel, Mutombo. Extra 3 = Adams, B. Jones, Camby
If you make Kareem the 4 on the Lakers you can make Jokic the 4 here. Then slot Mutombo in at center.
I'd probably have Murray and Melo coming off the bench for offense, slide Joker to power forward, and start Fat Lever. 1. Lever 2. Thompson 3. English 4. Jokic 5. Mutombo with Anthony and Murray as 6th (slash 7th) man. Would probably want McDyess as a rotation player too, good 2-way threat.
Some really good guards to play in Denver, but let's not forget about, Lafayette "Fat" Lever
He didn't
Ah, my favorite NBA player I watched growing up makes his first (but not last) appearance in this series: The 6'3" Chauncey Buh-buh-buh-billups!
Can you please make a video about the warriors 2022 championship, because I feel like no one is talking about it
5:53
My man will be averse to coming off of the bench.
Hey Jonny just wondering: what does your logo mean?
Cheers!
My team would be billups, ai, English, melo, jokic. Pure vibes and buckets no defence what so ever yeye
Personally would have Issel starting over Melo, Melo at SF bench and Kiki at PF bench, in their actual main positions. Lever switches with Iverson and Abdul-Rauf switches with Billups.
I'd replace Bobby Jones with one of McDyess, Simpson or Van Exel for team balance but can't fault him as a pick if you prefer another defensive big instead of an athletic rim finisher, slasher or long range shooter and floor general.
No henny god in the honorable mentions?
🎉❤
Cant leave Rauf off of this team. Prally replace him for Chauncy, Ai or Camby. No disrespect...edit Reggie Williams and Rodney Rodgers deserve honorable mention along with every starter on the current team.
Not having jr smith as a honorable mention is wild 😂
I wish Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf would've played 10 more years in the league. Could've been an all time great.
Robert Pack should be on that list
I’m gonna be sad when this series is over 😭
I'd probably start Mutombo over English to give the starters some much needed defense over scoring.
🙌🙌👋👋
I would've liked to see McDyess and Abdul-Rauf make it. But, ultimately I understand why you left them off.
Honorable Mentions: Bill Hanzlik, and two players who were with them when they were the Denver Rockets: Spencer Haywood and Warren Jabali.
I would throw Murray at the end of bench to be honest. That starting 5 would have literally zero defense with him so I would instead start Lever and bring Billups in from the bench.
Fat is the backup pg. B-B-B-Billups though a Park Hill Legend, he doesn't make the squad for 1 good year in Denver. He plays for Detroit behind Zeke. But Jamal, Fat, and Raúf are the points. Kiki, BobbyJ, Chauncey and Camby on the bubble for me. Gotta Have Abdul Rauf. Reggie Williams honorable mention.
I was expecting K-Mart on the roster and was wondering if some other player would relegate The Answer to a rotation player status. But then again, I never really followed The Nuggets other than when certain players were there (AI). An interesting team which could make a deep run in the play-offs on the strength of its starting unit. But will Iverson be willing to come off the bench? That is the question.
I love Billups but I'd have Fat Lever as my backup point guard
Remember to give Melo the number 15 or he's gonna get mad
I hope you got dikembe & jalen rose
Melo at PF with Jokic to pass him the ball would be amazing.