The 2012-13 season was a tale of two beings for the Denver Nuggets. The first being was the regular season, where they won an NBA franchise-record 57 games. The other was the playoffs, where they were abruptly taken out by the Golden State Warriors in six games.
This offseason was a shocking one for many Nuggets fans. GM Masai Ujiri, the NBA Executive of the Year, walked away and was replaced by Tim Connelly. Long-time coach George Karl was fired and replaced by rookie coach Brian Shaw. And free agents Andre Iguodola and Corey Brewer were not re-signed.
There is some new blood in the form of free agents J.J. Hickson, Randy Foye and Nate Robinson, further adding to the mystery of the 2013-14 season for the Nuggets. Nobody is sure what to expect out of them. Here are five things to watch.
1. How will Brian Shaw’s new offense translate to the roster? Nobody is sure what Shaw is going to bring to the table when running a team. He has been a head coaching candidate for many teams and was supposed to be the heir to Phil Jackson’s throne in Los Angeles.
Does Shaw bring the triangle offense to Denver? The fit doesn’t appear to be a good one, as Denver’s only big man is Javale McGee, who does not have good ball skills. The diminutive, speedy Lawson looks for his offense and doesn’t quite fit the type of point guard that ran the triangle offense.
Denver’s triangle likely will be an adapted version of Jackson’s that will have Shaw’s stamp on it. It will fit better with the 
roster the Nuggets have, but it is going to take some getting used to.
2. How much will the loss of Andre Iguodola hurt? The Nuggets let Iguodola walk this offseason in a sign-and-trade with the Golden State Warriors. Iguodola is a defensive force in the NBA. He is one of the best – if not the best – wing defender in the league.
At the same time, his unselfish playing style and desire to run the floor and attack the rim right in with the roster the Nuggets put together. He will clearly be missed.
The Nuggets didn’t replace Iguodola’s skill set very well. In fact, they didn’t really replace it at all. They did add J.J. Hickson and Randy Foye to try and make up for the loss, but Hickson is a big and Foye is a combo guard. On paper, it doesn’t look like enough. Only time will tell if it is.