Draymond Green has the T-Wolves beating the Nuggets: "Their 6 through 10 is as weak as any team left in the playoffs"

The Denver Nuggets continue to be the favorites to win the Western Conference, and for good reason. With a starting five of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Nuggets have proven difficult to contain.

However, some, including Draymond Green , believe the defending champions are too top-heavy. The Golden State Warriors forward even said that the Minnesota Timberwolves could upset the Nuggets in their conference semifinal matchup.

The Wolves' bench advantage

The four-time champ has a point because Minnesota's reserves proved crucial to the team's first-round sweep of the Phoenix Suns. The Wolves' bench averaged 27.0 points per game, the second-best among all playoff teams. Only the Orlando Magic subs have combined for more.

Swingman Nickeil Alexander-Walker had a productive first round, recording 12.3 points and 4.0 assists per contest off the bench while helping the squad contain the Suns' Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.

What could be scary for Denver in the conference semis is that Naz Reid, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, didn't even have a great first round, yet the Wolves' second unit was among the best out of all 16 teams. The big man could break out in the following games, especially against the Nuggets' inferior reserves.

While Minnesota has players who can be relied upon when the starters take a breather, Denver might not have such an advantage. The reserves it had to rely on against the Los Angeles Lakers include youngsters Christian Braun and Peyton Watson. The good news is that veteran Reggie Jackson tends to show up in some playoff contests, although he struggled heavily against a Lakers squad that aren't known for their point-of-attack defense.

An exciting rematch

It remains to be seen whether Green and others, such as Mark Jackson, who predicted a Wolves win , will be proven correct. Minnesota is likely raring to go again at the Nuggets after losing to them in the first round last year.

Three key differences on the bench front between now and the 2023 playoffs are that Reid didn't play after sustaining a season-ending injury late in the regular season, Alexander-Walker started in place of an injured Jaden McDaniels, and Denver this year doesn't have Bruce Brown, who scored 11.4 points off the bench against Minnesota in last campaign's series.

Fans are also waiting to see what Anthony Edwards has to say in the rematch after being the player who averaged the most points against Denver in the 2023 playoffs. Notably, the Nuggets also faced Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Jimmy Butler in the postseason.

On the other hand, Jokic and Murray are peaking right now, so the Wolves will definitely have their hands full.

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