Jordan Hamilton was supposed to have a breakout season in 2012-13 but found himself in Karl's doghouse. With a new coach, Iguodala and Brewer's exits and a decent showing in the Las Vegas Summer League, Hamilton is poised to become a key rotation player for the Nuggets this season.
Wilson Chandler missed a good chunk of last season due to hip surgery. Once he returned to the lineup for the Nuggets, he put together a solid stretch of basketball off the bench. This season, Chandler will be a starter for Denver with Danilo Gallinari missing action after knee surgery. Chandler's offense and defense will be vital if the Nuggets are to have a successful season.
Evan Fournier was a surprising part of the late season rotation for the Nuggets after Gallinari went down to injury. This season, the Frenchman will likely be competing for the starting shooting guard position. His offseason development will play a large factor in whether he gets that job or not. Either way, Denver will call on Fournier to step up into a bigger role in 2013-14.
It is no secret that Karl was not a fan of JaVale McGee and it was a contributing factor to the coach's ouster in Denver. One summer removed from a sizable contract extension and the dealing of Koufos this offseason and McGee suddenly finds himself as the Nuggets starting center. Once again, McGee will be working with Hakeem Olajuwan this summer and the Nuggets hopes are largely resting on McGee's ability to pick up what "The Dream" is teaching him.
Ty Lawson is entering his fifth season in Denver and is their longest tenured player. He is the only remaining vestige of the Carmelo Anthony era for the Nuggets. Lawson has high expectations for himself going into 2013-14 and so does Shaw and the Nuggets. Denver's point guard hopes to have an all-star caliber season and would like to reach the elite level of guards such as Chris Paul. In fact, after the NBA All Star Break last season Lawson's numbers were very similar to Paul, averaging 18.8 points and 6.4 assists per game for the Nuggets. For Denver to reach its potential this season, Lawson will need to sustain those stats for an entire season.
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