In this video, I make the case that the Denver Nuggets are unique in the NBA for their steadfast approach to building slowly through the draft and placing a premium on continuity. Six teams began to rebuild back at the start of the 2014-15 season, most were centered around a specific player that was taken in the NBA draft. But just five years later, most teams have either restarted their rebuild, cashed in their roster for major upgrades, or changed organizational direction multiple times. The Denver Nuggets, meanwhile, have kept most of the players who have come through the Pepsi Center door and are still more or less heading in the same direction they were at the start.
That’s not to say that Denver’s style of patience and continuity are the “right” way to build a contender. The Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics have both gotten closer to an NBA championship over that time-frame and the Los Angeles Lakers have managed to cash in their young core for Anthony Davis and LeBron James. But the Nuggets have developed an identity of not skipping steps and trusting their own process to build a contender their way. They are the real “trust the process” team.
