Denver's Real Audit
Aaron Gordon's health and the shot-making of Denver's complementary players are the clean place to start, because that is where this conversation stops being fan mythology and becomes roster math. Nobody needs another sweeping Nikola Jokic argument. Denver already knows what Jokic is. It also knows what Jamal Murray is when the pairing has enough help around it.
The Colder Question
That is the real audit. Can the non-star group keep the floor usable enough for Denver's offense to stay at a championship standard once a series starts stripping away easy answers? Gordon is the stabilizer in this ecosystem, but the larger question is about the rest of the chain. Christian Braun, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Julian Strawther are not side notes in that discussion. They are the part of the roster that decides whether opponents have to honor the whole shape of Denver's offense or can start cheating the margins.
What Denver Learned
This is why the deep-run question is smaller and harsher than people prefer. It is not about whether Jokic can drag a team far enough. Front offices hate that kind of romantic framing because it hides the real issue. Denver's supporting cast does not need to become famous. It needs to be bankable.