Halloween’s right around the corner, and this marks the revival of costumes, excessive candy consumption, and a new NBA season. After an offseason that went down as the most expensive in history, many players found new homes but the front runners stayed neutral. The Warriors, Spurs, Thunder, and LeBron Ja – I mean the Cavs are the favorites to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the season’s conclusion.

The Denver Nuggets are not expected to win an NBA title this year, but their run-of-the-mill roster from last year made a few adjustments and filled some holes. The roster for this season is more youthful than ever, and playoff hopes are much more promising when they take the court.

Following the termination of Brian Shaw as head coach, the Nuggets hired Sacramento Kings head coach Michael Malone to call the shots. What Malone brings to the table for the Nuggets franchise is something new to Nugget Nation, a slow-pace offensive strategy. Denver’s infamous high-flying days are limited. This adjustment won’t be difficult for the Nugget’s new floor general because he was never a part of the up-tempo style that was a mainstay in the Mile High City.

With the departure of veteran, and problematic, point guard Ty Lawson to Houston, the Nuggets still had an aging Jameer Nelson to lean on. That wasn’t convincing enough for owner Stan Kroenke, who went ahead and snatched Emmanuel Mudiay off the big board. The 6’5” Congolese with freakish athleticism has proven that despite being 19 years old, he has the maturity and basketball IQ to lead the franchise.

Getting offensive productivity out of Denver’s twos, threes and four’s hasn’t been an issue for the Nuggets in a long time, and won’t change anytime soon. Denver is equipped with critical players like Kenneth Faried (PF), Danilo Gallinari (S/PF), Wilson Chandler (SF), Gary Harris Jr.(SG), Randy Foye (SG) and newcomer Mike Miller (SG), and all capable of having a breakout game on any given night at Pepsi Center. Denver will be in trouble if its big men (J.J. Hickson and injured Jusuf Nurkic) can’t clean up down low in the paint and capitalize on second and third opportunities.

On the defensive side, expect a lot of production from both big men, especially the young, raw and talented Hickson. Don’t be surprised if he hosts “block parties” on a regular basis. Kenneth Faried always provides solid defensive showings, and being 6’5” gives Mudiay a scary advantage over smaller guards. The Nuggets are going to need more output from their scorers to be considered a balanced squad. Expect Coach Malone’s slow-tempo offense to go hand-in-hand with an emphasized defensive strategy — something that could have brought the Larry O’Brien trophy to D-town in the 2012-2013 campaign, which was ended in the first round.

The Oct. 28 season opener against Houston will be a huge test. The Nuggets will need to buckle down on defense if they are going to slow down the bearded-surge James Harden is going to try putting on. With Nurkic out with a torn patella tendon, the short-handed big men are going to have their hands full with Dwight Howard and Terrence Jones inside, so they better show up ready to play physically. Mudiay will face his predecessor, Lawson, in the dawn of a new era here in Denver. Lawson is electric but Mudiay is an athlete, too – just bigger. The rookie needs to stay composed and continue to play like a veteran.

If the Nuggets can execute on defense, look forward to an exciting year of basketball. If they don’t, then don’t be surprised when they miss the playoffs. Again.