5 Breakout players for next season, and why the Raptors’ fate is tied to one
No. 4: Julian Strawther, Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets as a team cannot be feeling good about this summer. They prioritized saving money over keeping the best starting lineup in the Western Conference together, waving goodbye to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Starting point guard Jamal Murray had a terrible final series in the playoffs and proceeded to be the worst player on Team Canada in the Paris Olympics, to the point the Nuggets have withheld a max contract extension. Their big free agent signing to right the ship? Russell Westbrook, the bane of every title contender's existence as he has flitted around the league ensuring his teams never win it all.
The avoidable step back coming for the recent champions does open up an opportunity for role players to step into larger roles, and Julian Strawther is a prime candidate to do just that. The Nuggets drafted the former Gonzaga wing in the first round of the 2023 draft, and he played 50 games last season rounding into form as the reserve wing this team needed. Then he missed the end of the season and the playoffs due to injury, and the Nuggets appeared obviously worse for it.
If Summer League is any indication, Strawther is ready to reclaim his supporting role and then some, potentially challenging Christian Braun for the starting shooting guard spot. He was bombing away from downtown with absolutely no conscience in Las Vegas, pouring in points and looking unstoppable in that setting. He looked the part of a player ready to step into a larger role and begin catching passes fed to him by the greatest passing center of all time.
Strawther's growth this year will need to be more than simply as a shooter to truly help the Nuggets reach their goals; they need a secondary shot creator to play when Murray is off the court, and they need rebounding and defense from Strawther so he will not be played off the court when the games matter most. If he can deliver, it's possible Denver won't miss Caldwell-Pope all that much.