Perception of the 2024-25 Nuggets is turning into a case study of optimism vs. pessimism.

Are you a glass-half-full kind of person? Then when the Nuggets improved to 14-10 with their latest miracle this week in Sacramento, you probably thought of the remarkable number of clutch moments they’ve conjured in such a small fraction of this season, from a refreshing variety of sources.

You probably dwelled on Jamal Murray’s game-winning step-back jumper with 8.6 seconds remaining. Maybe it reminded you of Murray’s game-tying layup in Toronto with 0.3 seconds left. Or Nikola Jokic’s game-tying baby hook with 8.1 to go in Brooklyn. Or Julian Strawther’s decisive contested layup with 1:09 left back home in Denver. Or Michael Porter Jr.’s game-winner with 6.1 seconds left against Dallas, or Peyton Watson’s last-second block on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or any of the other little moments that colored Denver’s four double-digit comeback wins in the fourth quarter this season.

Are you a glass-half-empty kind of person? Then the moment that stuck in your craw from Sacramento was more likely the last play, after Murray’s shot, when DeMar DeRozan fumbled a pass from Domantas Sabonis that might’ve resulted in a game-winning layup. You probably had flashbacks to how close the Nuggets were to losing so many of their most compelling wins. How the Raptors missed two free throws in the last 20 seconds while trying to protect the lead, how R.J. Barrett’s game-winning attempt in the rematch was halfway down before it popped out at the buzzer. How Dorian Finney-Smith missed a wide-open corner three in Brooklyn as time expired, or how Kyrie Irving waited for his last shot to finally miss after amassing 43 points.

The first quarter of this season has been, well, a lot to process. And the answers still aren’t entirely clear.

That’s why the Nuggets feel inclined to exercise patience before making any changes to their roster. NBA trade season unofficially began on Dec. 15, the date when free agents acquired this summer became trade-eligible, but it doesn’t end until Feb. 6. Denver will have played 51 games by then. As of this week, according to league sources, the Nuggets are open to the idea of adding depth or star power before the trade deadline, but their preferred outcome is to feel confident not making a major trade.