Is it not easy for the Thunder to defend the title? Perhaps the most terrifying opponent is the Nuggets

In the past 8 years, 8 different championships have been born in the NBA. In the 2025-26 season, it may not be easy for the Thunder to successfully defend the title. Who is the most terrifying opponent on the Thunder’s road to defending the title? The answer may still be the same as this year: the Denver Nuggets. The latest championship odds also seem to support the view that the Nuggets' championship odds have soared to second in the league, second only to the Thunder.

A week ago, Denver Nuggets executive Jonathan Wallace said the team's progress was "more smoother than it seems." He told reporters that "cautious" must be done during the offseason, but because of the world's best players in the roster and a set of elite-level starting five tigers, the team's primary focus is to improve the depth of the bench.

Wallace said: "Now, to be honest, you only need to add a few more players so that the main players can get some rest." 24 hours after the free agent market opened, the Nuggets achieved this goal. The team completed a big deal to send Michael Porter Jr. (and an unprotected first-round pick in 2032) to the Nets in exchange for Cameron Johnson. Since then, the Nuggets have added three veterans to the bench: Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Valanciunas. Brown, 28, played a key role in the 2023 Nuggets' championship journey, but he left the team during that offseason when the Indiana Pacers offered him a two-year $45 million contract. According to The Athletic, Brown returns with a one-year veteran base salary, and the Nuggets don’t need to worry about his adaptation. When Murray leaves the field, Brown can serve as a point guard and knows how to work with Murray and Jokic. His empty cuts, defense (sometimes even against much larger players) and pure energy have changed the course of the Nuggets in the playoffs.

According to the Denver Post, 33-year-old Hardaway also joined with a basic salary. His defensive ability is not as good as Brown, but the signing may be more meaningful given the specific needs of the Nuggets. At a pre-draft press conference, Wallace also mentioned that the Nuggets must "make sure they find more players with shooting skills." This demand has long been obvious, and this is more prominent when facing the Thunder in the second round of the playoffs - the Thunder almost blatantly "encourage" the Nuggets' role players to take three points. Although the Nuggets' three-point shooting percentage was only 31.5%, they still dragged the final championship into the tiebreak, which is a feat in itself.

Hardaway's three-point shooting rate fluctuates from time to time: his cumulative three-point shooting percentage has been 37.4% in the past six seasons, but his lowest in a single season has fallen to 33.6% and a highest at 39.8%. However, no matter how well the shooting feels, he is not at all stage frightened. Last season, the Nuggets ranked last in the league in three-point shootings. Apart from Jokic, Murray and Porter, substitute defender Pickett is the only player in the team who can make at least 6 three-pointers per 100 rounds and hit a shooting percentage of no less than 35%. Hardaway's three-point shots per 100 rounds were 10.1, which was his lowest frequency since the 2016-17 season. Johnson, Brown and Hardaway will surely be in the water when fighting side by side with Jokic.

On the other hand, 33-year-old Valanciunas will help stabilize the situation during Jokic's outing. He is obviously an upgrade option better than Saric - the Nuggets sent Saric to the Kings in exchange for Valanciunas. I am looking forward to seeing him scrambling for offensive rebounds and fighting against the opponent's substitute big man in the interior. If Holmes (a rookie who hasn't played in the NBA after a torn Achilles tendon in the summer league) can prove that he is enough to enter the rotation, then Valanciunas may seem a bit redundant, but it is undoubtedly a "happy worries." According to the salary website, the Nuggets currently have a contract lineup of 14 players slightly exceeding the luxury tax line. Through Porter's deal with Johnson, the team received a $16.8 million trade exception, but may not be traded again for the moment. If this is true, then the reorganized Nuggets management has successfully completed the lineup strengthening and got rid of the salary dilemma. You know, if this is easy, the Nuggets should have done this last summer.