DENVER (KDVR) — The NBA is the highest level of basketball a player can get to, and naturally, the best basketball players in the world make up the league’s roster.
Each team can carry 15 players during the regular season, which can expand to 18 through two-way contracts. That means that only 540 players out of 610 million playing the sport across the globe make up the NBA.
A poll by ESPN asked its panel of basketball experts to name the top 100 of those 540 players in the NBA, and out of those 100 players, a group of six Denver Nuggets players made the cut. That means that six players on the Nuggets are in the top 0.0000164% of players in the world.
Can you guess which Nuggets players made the ESPN Top 100?
Jonas Valančiūnas, C — No. 87
2024 rank: No. 91
He has yet to make his debut with the Nuggets, but will look to get the ball rolling after a tumultuous summer during free agency, before leading his team on a run in EuroBasket 2025. Solid play with the Washington Wizards and Sacramento Kings saw him jump four spots in the ranking.
“While it was initially unclear whether Valanciunas would stay in the NBA this summer after being acquired by the Nuggets from the Kings, the veteran big will be tasked with lessening the load on Nikola Jokic, who has been leaned on heavily during the regular season. If Valanciunas can do that successfully, the Nuggets will be thrilled,” said the panel.
Cameron Johnson, SF — No. 67
2024 rank: Unranked
Another new Nuggets player who has yet to make his debut with the team, Johnson is a premier 3-and-D player who should thrive in the Nuggets system. In the wake of the failed Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Kevin Durant Brooklyn Nets experiment, he saw his workload increase after the trades of those players and he was ready to take the call.
“Playing for a rebuilding Brooklyn Nets team, Johnson was an unlikely No. 1 option on offense, posting a career-high 23% usage rate while simultaneously improving his efficiency. Johnson made 58% of 2-point attempts and a career-high 2.8 3s per game, producing the best true shooting percentage of his career (.632). Dealt to Denver for Michael Porter Jr., Johnson probably will play a smaller role but should feast on the open looks created by three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets would love if Johnson, who has never played more than 66 games in a season, could surpass that,” said the panel.
Christian Braun, SG/SF — No. 62
2024 rank: Unranked
Ah, there’s a more familiar face.
Braun came in as a rookie and helped the Nuggets win the team’s first-ever championship that year. Since then, the team itself hasn’t reached the same heights, but Braun had a breakout season. He could always be seen locking up the opponent’s best perimeter player and streaking up and down the court on fast breaks.
He went from being unranked to No. 62 after a stellar season that had many calling for him to earn the Most Improved Player award.
“The Nuggets’ bet on Braun paid off last season, when he averaged career highs of 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals after being elevated into the starting lineup following the free agency exit of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. He shot 58% from the field while making 89 3s — joining teammate and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic as the only player who had accomplished the feat in a season. The next step for Braun, who shot 39.7% on 3s, is to increase his long-range volume,” said the panel.
Jamal Murray, PG — No. 46
2024 rank: No. 31
The other half of the legendary Denver duo, featuring Jokić, Murray, had a bittersweet year. He did improve to career highs in some statistics, but couldn’t outrun a negative narrative chasing him from last season.
His production didn’t really fall off, and the bad press can be seen as pretty harsh in some instances.
Known for his ability to rise in the playoffs, he didn’t match the heights of previous years, but if you take a step back and understand that his absurdly good playoff performances that regularly feature 40-point games aren’t sustainable — you’ll notice that Denver still has a ridiculously talented point guard on its hands.
“Murray’s season started with concerns about his health after a disappointing playoff run and ineffective Olympics. The season ended with Murray averaging a career-high 21.4 points and playing the most games (67) he has since 2018-19. Murray wasn’t as dominant in the postseason as he was in Denver’s 2023 title run, but he increased his scoring average from the regular season for the fourth time in five playoff runs. He had a monster 43-point game on 17-of-26 shooting against the Clippers in a pivotal Game 5,” said the panel.
Aaron Gordon, PF — No. 40
2024 rank: No. 49
What a year it was for Aaron Gordon, aye?
The man who is so dedicated to the sport that his home is literally a basketball court and living quarters in a warehouse had a postseason that can hardly be described by words.
He was hitting game-winner after game-winner, bringing a euphoric buzz to Ball Arena and the Nuggets fanbase. Previously known as a kind of glue guy, jack-of-all-trades type of player — well, he actually kind of matched those same labels, albeit at an elite standard.
If he can build upon that momentum with a healthier season this year, the new-look Nuggets might be the team to cast a looming, intimidating shadow over the league.
“Gordon played the hero in so many of the Nuggets’ playoff games in 2024-25 despite having a frustrating regular season due to injuries. When he was healthy enough to play, he showcased a much-improved 3-point shooting stroke (44%), honed through months of tireless work on his home court. No one was more frustrated than Gordon at the series of calf and leg injuries that caused him to miss 30 regular-season games. If he’s able to sustain his health this year, look for new coach David Adelman to allow Gordon to contribute even more offensively,” said the panel.
Nikola Jokić, C — No.1
2024 rank: No. 1
Some NBA fans might have been surprised to see Jokić’s name here, following the season that Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had, winning MVP, Finals MVP and the NBA championship.
However, how many more times does this man have to prove himself?
Jokić had a season with history-crushing statistics that will never happen again unless Jokić himself does it, or if some NBA android is created for the future of the league.
If you listed the records he broke this season, this article could go on for another page or two. Depending on who you ask, this might have been one of two seasons where Jokić was overlooked for the MVP award, which would have had him winning five times in a row, with most people being unable to complain — that’s how dominant he has been.
The Thunder cited the Nuggets as the lone team they were genuinely afraid of in the playoffs, and most of that had to do with Jokić running the show. He has a revamped team around him that features players capable of taking the Nuggets to new heights.
“Part of the reason Jokic’s numbers were so incredible is that the Nuggets needed him to carry such a heavy load after a second straight offseason of losing key players from their championship team. This year, Denver has been more aggressive in surrounding Jokic with more talent and a deeper bench, but we won’t know until we see this new group out there whether those moves will look as good as they do on paper. If Denver rebounds and challenges the Thunder as the best team in the West, Jokic has a chance to become only the sixth player in NBA history to win four MVP awards, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James,” said the panel.
The talent on the Nuggets is undeniable. After a better-than-expected playoff run last year with a banged-up crew, the team added some key free agents whose play styles should sync up perfectly with the Nuggets’ system.
Anything less than a ring this season will serve as a major disappointment.
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