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Hope

It was tough to move them ahead of the Sixers, but the Denver Nuggets offer much more in the way of certainty. As good as Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons might become, and as valuable as all those picks could wind up being, there's still so much we don't know about how Philly will look in the future.

With the Nuggets, it's Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray running a top-three offense in perpetuity. And that's awfully enticing.

Jokic is already a star. A triple-double machine and the best offensive center in basketball, the 22-year-old Serbian gives Denver the perfect building block. Put anybody around him, and his passing maximizes the fit.

Murray profiles as a perfect modern point guard, one as likely to score 30 as hand out six or seven assists. His shot-creation and smooth offensive game will develop beautifully in the free-flowing environment Jokic's presence creates.

Other than that, Denver has loads of movable assets—think Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and even Emmanuel Mudiay—on fair, good deals. Keep them or trade them; either way, the Nuggets can get value.

Despair

It may not be possible to fashion a consistently respectable defense around Jokic and the up-and-down style his game fosters. As they've been the league's best offense since Jan. 1, the Nuggets have also ranked in the bottom two on the other end.

To really inspire fear in opponents, they'll have to find better balance.

Mudiay, 21, is still very young, but he looks like a draft miss. And the prospect of a possible overpay on Mason Plumlee's next contract looms ahead.

But that's about it. Otherwise, thanks to Jokic, Murray and lots of asset flexibility, the Nuggets figure to win games in increasing volume over the next few years.