Are the Denver Nuggets the most athletic team in the NBA?

It’s hard to make a case for who the most athletic team in the NBA is, but if there was any sort of discussion, I think the Nuggets would have to be somewhere near the top. The Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat have to rank up there too, but the Nuggets have four or five guys who could be considered top athletes in the league.

Don’t get me wrong, there isn’t a better athlete in the NBA, and maybe even in the world, than LeBron James. The guy absolutely incredible. It’s debatable, but I strongly believe that James is one of the top athletes alive right now.

Either way, the Nuggets roster consists of a few guys who are just absolute freak athletes. Andre Igoudala, JaVale McGee, and Kenneth Faried are the three who come to my mind, and all of them are unbelievable in the athleticism department. We’ve seen Igoudala, McGee, and Faried throw down some unbelievable dunks and pick up some amazing blocks over the past season or two, and all three of the guys have participated in a Slam Dunk Contest.

Andre Igoudala became know for his athleticism while playing with the Philadelphia 76ers. He competed in the 2006 Dunk Contest, and a lot of people feel that he was robbed from winning it. Igoudala is one of the biggest workhorses in the league, and played in all 82 games in five of his first six seasons. Think about how impressive that is for a second. He averages close to 40 minutes a game, and the 6’6″ shooting guard will be remembered as one of the premiere dunkers in the NBA over the past decade.

For those of you that read all my posts on the Nuggets, you’ll understand that JaVale McGee is one of my favorite players in the league. I am thoroughly convinced that if McGee were to play smart most of the time, he could be one of the best big men in the league. He, along with Igoudala, has also competed in a Dunk Contest (2011). His wingspan is close to 7 feet, 6 inches, and he elevates pretty well for a big man, with a vertical of 31 inches. If he were to play with his head on straight and not be one of the dumbest players in the league, there wouldn’t be many guys able to stop McGee.

Next on the list is Kenneth Faried. I mean, the guys nickname is the “Manimal.” He’s half man, half animal. The second year player  became known for his athleticism in the NCAA. In his days at Morehead State, Faried became the NCAA all-time leading rebounder and was voted the NABC Defensive Player of the Year his senior year. At the frame of 6’8″, Faried is capable of matching up against opposing teams centers and pushing them around. Watching Faried rebound the basketball against his opponents is one of the funnest things to watch in the NBA, and Faried will develop into one of the best athletes in the league in years to come.

I know that athleticism isn’t based all around ridiculous dunks, but these plays from Igoudala, McGee, and Faried are ones that show off how athletic they really are.

Those three guys stand out to me as three of the most athletic players in the league. They aren’t the only ones on the team either, as Wilson Chandler, Ty Lawson, and Corey Brewer, are all impressive at what they do.

No, there aren’t any awards that are going to be handed at the end of the season for being an all around athletic team, but the Denver Nuggets have emerged as one of the funnest teams in the league to watch, and this is a main reason why. Not only is their bench one of the best in the league, but the teams overall athleticism is something that should stand out to most basketball fans.