The Nuggets returned to the first echelon with two operations, Jokic s bench took shape, and Hu Yong is still holding back his moves?

The Nuggets' reinforcement directly changed the power landscape in the West. The joining of Valan and Hardaway Jr. has allowed the team to have a deep team in the league: the starting five tigers (Murray, Brown, Johnson, Gordon, Jokic) averages 82 points per game, and the bench (Hardaway Jr., Braun, Valan) averages 35 points per game. This "nine-man rotation" model can effectively deal with the risk of injury in a long season. In contrast, the Lakers and Warriors ranked 24th and 28th in the league respectively, and the gap is clear at a glance.

Jokic's bench problem was once the biggest hidden danger of the Nuggets, but Valan's arrival completely solved this pain point. His pick-and-roll cooperation with Fox during the Kings (3.8 points per game) was seamlessly ported to the Nuggets system, and his duo move with Murray is expected to become a conventional weapon in the new season. Hardaway Jr. created space for Jokic by running without the ball. According to statistics, when Hardaway Jr. was on the court, Jokic's assist rate increased by 15%, and the number of three-point shots increased by 2.3 times.

The Lakers and Warriors' management was in a passive position at this time. Lakers fans launched a proposal to "use Russell + Bamba for Hardaway Jr." on social media, and Warriors reporters revealed that the team is trying to exchange Coominga + first-round pick for Valan, but none of these plans received a response from the other party. As the free market enters the third day, if Hu Yong cannot act quickly, he may miss the last opportunity to strengthen.