On Monday night, the Denver Nuggets departed for Abu Dhabi, capital city of the United Arab Emirates. While there, they will take in the sights, play two preseason games against the defending champion Boston Celtics, and look to bring the NBA game to the Middle East.
It took the Nuggets a while to get there, and the entire experience will probably take away from practice time. That might be a big deal heading into a regular season with new faces and high expectations. It also might not be a big deal. The Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves both traveled to Abu Dhabi last season, and both teams represented the West in the Conference Finals a few months ago.
So, perhaps the experience can be a good thing for the Nuggets? Bring the team closer together, learn what works and what doesn’t early on, and get away from basketball a bit before the real zoo begins in late October.
Here are some things to watch for the Nuggets on Friday and Sunday when their Abu Dhabi matchups against the Celtics take place:
Do the Starters look good with Christian Braun?
It’s expected that the Nuggets starting lineup will get some run in Abu Dhabi despite being a preseason matchup. Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic return to the starting group. Christian Braun, at least initially, is expected to join them. He brings defensive versatility, off-ball cutting, and some shooting and playmaking to the table. If that sounds a lot like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, that would be fair, and it’s why I expect Braun to fill in nicely for the former Nugget.
Braun will be tested immediately by the likes of Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White. That’s the best perimeter quartet in the NBA and the primary reason the Celtics won the title. How Braun handles those matchups will be interesting. Does he appear overwhelmed? Do the outside jumpers go in? Can he limit the production and impact of whoever he’s guarding? It’s a real trial-by-fire scenario.
Michael Malone shared after practice last week that the starting shooting guard will probably factor in fit and complimentary skills as much as it does talent. In the starting group, the Nuggets don’t need a whole lot of scoring or passing from the shooting guard spot to be successful. They need glue-guy skills. Can Braun bring that skill set to the starting unit? We should get a nice look early on.
Will Russell Westbrook outrun the second unit?
It’s clear that Russell Westbrook is best playing at a fast pace, pushing the tempo in transition and using his athleticism and relentlessness to demolish the competition. He’s done that in the NBA for a long time, and when he has teammates that run with him, it looks even better.
Unfortunately, the Nuggets aren’t exactly well positioned to run in Abu Dhabi. Peyton Watson is dealing with a hamstring injury and is unlikely to play. He might not even play this preseason. Julian Strawther can get out in transition and attack on the wing, but he might be the only one. The Nuggets frontcourt is a bit slow by comparison with newcomer Dario Saric and returning bigs Zeke Nnaji and DeAndre Jordan. Vlatko Cancar is returning from a torn ACL, and while Hunter Tyson could probably run on occasion, it’s not his strong suit.
I’m a bit worried Russ will try to push the pace without the proper running-mates, and that could lead to forced decisions, turnovers, and some sloppy play. Russ may have to slow it down for the Nuggets and play a more methodical game. He’s capable, but it’s probably not what he wants to do. For that reason, the Nuggets need to be opportunistic in transition with him out there and afford more opportunities for easy baskets if they can.
Can Michael Porter Jr. get downhill?
There’s no doubt that the signature part of Michael Porter Jr.’s game (and the most important part) is his jumper. He made 220 three-pointers last regular season, shot 48.8% from three against the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs, and was a constant “run-off” for opposing defenses all season. Teams did not want MPJ splashing jumpers against them.
But now, we have an interesting wrinkle in this Nuggets season. Porter, the 6’10” tall and athletic forward he already is, is now 235 pounds. Last season, he was listed at 218 and likely played around that weight for much of the season. He wasn’t the skinniest player in the league by any means, but now, he’s built. He has fundamental strength he didn’t have before, and that might change his game in interesting ways.
What I want to see: can MPJ get downhill with the ball in his hands? Can he drive to the paint, absorb contact from the defense, and finish strong at the rim? That would be a very interesting and unique development. See, out of the 1,107 seasons by players with 2,500 minutes played in the last 25 years, Michael Porter Jr. ranked 1,086th with 2.1 free throw attempts per 100 possessions. That’s the 2nd percentile, and it means there’s plenty of room for improvement.
Porter’s back is always a question in these conversations, but he and the team apparently felt putting on weight wouldn’t affect his health. With that in mind, if he could put that extra weight to good use, muscling smaller defenders out of the way, that could make him an extremely tough cover for any team, even the Boston Celtics.