Nuggets All-Time Starting Five

Every era of Nuggets basketball, one lineup. These are the five highest-rated Nuggets legends across the 1960s to today, chosen by iKnoBall's era-adjusted engine — and the record they'd post over a full 82-game season.

6319projected season
avg overall 91
93
Point Guard
Allen Iverson
2000s
89
Small Forward
Carmelo Anthony
2010s
88
Shooting Guard
David Thompson
1970s
88
Small Forward
Alex English
1980s
98
Center
Nikola Jokic
2020s

Two bigs or a wing-heavy five? That's the engine optimizing for pure rating — exactly the debate iKnoBall is built to settle. Think you'd start a different five? Prove it.

The Case for This Five

Allen Iverson anchors the group at a 93 overall — the kind of number only genuine all-time greats reach on iKnoBall's scale. Around Iverson, the model fills out a starting five that balances scoring, playmaking and defense across Nuggets history, then simulates all 82 games. The result — 6319 — reflects both the raw talent and how the pieces fit: a lineup that covers every role and avoids stacking too many ball-dominant scorers projects higher than one built on names alone.

Full All-Time Nuggets Rankings

Every Nuggets legend in the iKnoBall pool, ranked by era-adjusted overall. The top five above start; the rest form the bench and the debate.

PlayerEraPosPPGOVR
Nikola Jokic2020sC29.698
Allen Iverson2000sPG24.893
Carmelo Anthony2010sSF23.989
David Thompson1970sSG27.288
Alex English1980sSF29.888
Dan Issel1970sC22.685
Marcus Camby2000sC11.585
Jamal Murray2020sPG26.185
Dikembe Mutombo1990sC12.984
Fat Lever1980sPG21.383
Antonio McDyess1990sPF18.382
Kenyon Martin2000sPF15.882
Kiki Vandeweghe1980sSF29.481
Ty Lawson2010sPG16.481
George McGinnis1970sSF17.280
Calvin Natt1980sSF19.980
LaPhonso Ellis1990sPF15.780
Nick Van Exel1990sPG16.580
Andre Miller2000sPG14.180
Michael Porter Jr.2020sSF19.479
Bobby Jones1970sPF12.378
Reggie Williams1990sSF14.678
Aaron Gordon2020sPF13.978
Ralph Simpson1970sSG18.377
Brian Taylor1970sPG14.177
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf1990sPG19.277
Danilo Gallinari2010sSF16.277
Kenneth Faried2010sPF11.577
Wayne Cooper1980sC8.976
Bryant Stith1990sSG14.176
J.R. Smith2000sSG13.375
Gary Harris2010sSG14.975
Bruce Brown2020sSG10.275
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope2020sSG11.473
Reggie Jackson2020sPG9.071

Could you build a better five?

Draft your own all-time Nuggets — or any franchise across five sports — set your starting five, and sim a full season chasing a perfect 82–0. Free to play.

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Frequently Asked

Who is on the all-time Nuggets starting five?

By iKnoBall's era-adjusted ratings the all-time Nuggets starting five is Allen Iverson (Point Guard, 2000s), Carmelo Anthony (Small Forward, 2010s), David Thompson (Shooting Guard, 1970s), Alex English (Small Forward, 1980s), Nikola Jokic (Center, 2020s). Together they project to a 63–19 regular season.

What record would the all-time Nuggets team have?

iKnoBall's simulation projects this five at 63–19 over an 82-game season, with an average starter rating of 91. The model runs each game as a probability from the lineup's combined strength, so an all-time five contends for a near-perfect year but nothing is guaranteed.

How are the ratings calculated?

Each player's overall is built from era-adjusted box-score production (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defense) and anchored to the reputations of established greats, so a 25-point scorer in the 1960s and today are measured on the same scale. Only true legends reach the 90s.

Can I build my own Nuggets all-time team?

Yes — iKnoBall is a free game where you draft one legend per era, set your starting five, and simulate a full season chasing a perfect 82–0. Play it free at play.iknoball.com.

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Ratings are era-adjusted and computed by iKnoBall's simulation engine. Records are model projections for entertainment, not predictions. Player names belong to their respective owners; iKnoBall is an independent fan-made game.