The Denver Nuggets are a team on the rise. The young and talented core of the roster is undeniable, and the front office has amassed assets and created flexibility; it all bodes well for the future.
At the center of it all – quite literally – are two of the league’s most talented, young big men, Jusuf Nurkic (21) and Nikola Jokic (21). Both Nurkic and Jokic were named to the NBA’s All-Rookie team; Nurkic as a 2014-15 second-teamer, and Jokic as a first-team selection this season. Not far behind is the 6-foot-11 Joffrey Lauvergne, who’s only 24.
Those three players are “traditional” fives – big, strong rim protectors who all have the ability to play with their backs to the basket on offense. They’re in the mold of some of the game’s great centers, and considering their age, each is expected to become a force on the low block.
As it pertains to their evaluation, there’s a lot more promise than concern. Paired with rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, it’s safe to assume that one – probably two – of the Nuggets “bigs” will serve as the foundation of the franchise.
But here’s the question: Should they be?
Look around the Conference Finals. What don’t you see?
That’s right – traditional big men.
Sure, there are some: OKC’s Steven Adams, Golden State’s Andrew Bogut and Anderson Varajao, Cleveland’s Timofey Mosgov and Toronto’s Jonas Valančiūnas and Jason Thompson. But within that list, only Adams has had much of an impact. He’s averaging 31.6 minutes, 10.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. He’s doing a respectable job on the Warriors’ Draymond Green, who, for all intents and purposes, serves as Golden State’s “big man.”
Bogut and Varajao have essentially become role players for the Warriors. Green takes the bulk of the minutes at “center,” while Bogut’s playoff minutes (17.1) are actually down from his regular season playing time (20.7) and Varajao is used primarily as a nuisance, someone who can deliver a foul, or perhaps bait one.
Should the Thunder win, the credit will go to Kevin Durant and/or Russell Westbrook – not Adams.
In the East, Mosgov, who factored heavily into a depleted Cleveland team’s losing efforts in the 2015 Finals, is only logging 5.4 minutes per game. Essentially, he’s a non-factor. Gobbling up those minutes are a combination of Cleveland “big” men in Tristan Thompson (6-foot-9), Kevin Love (6-foot-10) and Channing Frye (6-foot-11). Frye looks the part, but he’s grabbing only 2.8 rebounds per game.
The Raptors’ Valančiūnas is arguably the biggest, baddest big man left in the tournament, but he’s been hurt. In the first two rounds, he was solid, averaging 15 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. In the Raptors first win against Cleveland, the most dominant force was 6-foot-9 Bismack Biyombo, who grabbed 26 rebounds and added seven points. He picked up 14 and five in Game 4. Outside of Biyombo’s big Game 3, no other Raptors center has contributed any truly significant numbers.
The reality, of course, is that no big man is dominating what’s left of the NBA playoffs. Plenty of others, highly regarded big men, have fallen by the wayside. Dwight Howard? Gone, round one. DeAndre Jordan? Gone, round one. LaMarcus Aldridge and the aging Tim Duncan? Upset by OKC, round two. Dirk Nowitzki? Gone, round one. Chris Bosh? So long, round two. Boogie Cousins? He went on vacation instead of to the playoffs.
Trends come and go in sports. The Denver Broncos won back-to-back Super Bowls in the late ‘90s behind one of the NFL’s historically great running offenses. In 2013, when they returned (but lost) under Peyton Manning, they did so as the greatest passing offense in football history. In 2016, the grabbed Lombardi with virtually no offense at all.
The Lakers and Spurs owned most of the NBA titles in the late ’90s and early 2000s behind big men like Shaq, Tim Duncan and Pau Gasol. This year, the Golden State Warriors won 73 regular season games and have the potential to repeat as NBA champs; they’ve done it all by playing the Association’s new favorite buzzword – “small ball.” No matter which of the four teams that remain is crowned champion this year, the bronze statue one day built outside the arena won’t likely be a center.
Is the NBA big man dead or simply out of style? And if it’s simply not en vogue to build around the bigs, how long with the trend last?
If “position-less” basketball is here to stay, what does that mean for the Denver Nuggets? Are they the high school senior who insists on wearing bell bottoms when peg legs are all the rage? Or, are they positioning themselves perfectly when the trend shifts once again.
Denver’s big men are going to be good. Anyone who’s watched the Nuggets for the past two years can agree on that. Barring the unexpected, they should be good for quite some time.
But will big be good enough to win an NBA title?