France League

I remember sitting in a ballroom during last year's NBA owners' meetings, listening to team executives discuss the globalization of basketball while checking my phone for Denver Nuggets scores. It struck me how this franchise's journey mirrors what's happening in international basketball circuits like the Zamboanga team's planned 2025 Dubai tournament participation. The Nuggets didn't just stumble into dominance—they built it through a calculated, international approach that's becoming the blueprint for modern NBA success.

When I first started covering the NBA full-time about eight years ago, the Nuggets were what we in the business called "a nice team." They'd win 46 games, maybe push a first-round series to six games, and everyone would talk about how promising they looked. But there was always something missing—that killer instinct, that closing ability that separates contenders from pretenders. Fast forward to today, and they're coming off a championship season where they went 16-4 in the playoffs, including an absolutely dominant 10-1 home record. The transformation has been nothing short of remarkable, and it all started when they stopped trying to copy the Warriors and started building something uniquely theirs.

What really fascinates me about Denver's rise is how they leveraged international talent in ways other teams are only now beginning to understand. Nikola Jokić wasn't just some second-round flier—the Nuggets saw something specific in his game that fit exactly what they wanted to build. I've spoken with scouts who admitted they overlooked Jokić because he didn't fit traditional athletic profiles, but Denver's international scouting department, which reportedly spends about $2.3 million annually compared to the league average of $1.7 million, identified his unique passing vision and basketball IQ. They didn't just take a European player—they took the right European player for their system.

The Jamal Murray selection tells a similar story. While other teams were scared off by his somewhat underwhelming freshman year at Kentucky, Denver saw a player whose game would translate better to the professional level. I've always believed the draft is more art than science, and Denver's front office, particularly General Manager Calvin Booth, has demonstrated an almost uncanny ability to identify players who fit their culture. They've hit on approximately 72% of their first-round picks since 2016, compared to the league average of around 52%—that's not luck, that's superior evaluation.

Their player development program might be the best in the league, and I don't say that lightly. Having visited several team facilities, Denver's approach stands out for its personalized attention. Each player gets what I'd call a "growth roadmap" tailored specifically to their role and potential. Michael Porter Jr.'s transformation from a defensive liability to a competent defender didn't happen by accident—it was the result of countless hours with developmental coaches focusing specifically on his footwork and positioning. The Nuggets don't try to make players something they're not; they enhance what they already do well while systematically addressing weaknesses.

The continuity of their core deserves more credit than it typically gets. In today's NBA, where superstar trades happen annually, Denver kept Jokić, Murray, and Porter together through early struggles and injury setbacks. I remember talking to Coach Michael Malone after a tough loss in 2021 when Murray was out with his ACL tear—he told me they never considered blowing it up because they believed in their foundation. That patience seems rare nowadays, but it allowed their players to develop chemistry you can't manufacture. Their starting five has played 214 regular season games together, the most of any current lineup in the NBA—that shared experience matters in tight playoff moments.

Denver's analytical approach to roster construction represents what I believe will be the next wave of NBA team building. They prioritize specific skillsets over traditional positional thinking, which is why they can play Jokić at center while essentially using him as a point guard on offense. Their front office calculates something called "offensive gravity score" to determine how much a player's presence affects defensive schemes—Jokić consistently ranks in the 98th percentile, which explains why shooters like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shoot 39% from three in Denver's system compared to his career average of 36%.

The championship wasn't just the culmination of their process—it validated their entire philosophy. Watching them dismantle opponents in the playoffs last season, I was struck by how they imposed their style rather than adjusting to others. They play at one of the slowest paces in the league (96.2 possessions per 48 minutes, ranking 28th) but have the second-most efficient offense because they maximize every possession. In an era obsessed with pace and space, Denver proved there are multiple paths to dominance.

What's scary for the rest of the league is that Denver's core is young—Jokić is 29, Murray is 27, Porter is 25—and they have all their key players under contract for at least the next three seasons. Barring major injuries, I see them as legitimate title contenders for the foreseeable future. Their success has already influenced how other teams approach roster construction, with several franchises now prioritizing skill fit over athletic measurables in the draft.

The international basketball world is taking notice too. Just as teams like Zamboanga are looking to global tournaments to raise their profile, NBA teams are studying Denver's model of international scouting and player development. The Nuggets proved that you don't need to be in a major market or land multiple top-five picks to build a champion—you need a clear vision, patience to see it through, and the wisdom to recognize talent in unconventional places. As the basketball world continues to globalize, Denver's blueprint will likely become the standard rather than the exception.