Strike 1: It looks like it’s going to be one of those kinds of seasons for the Denver Nuggets. A season where nothing comes easy, where every game, home and road is a brawl, and where the starters have to spend every ounce of energy almost every night.
After an improbable and gritty fourth quarter comeback earned them their first win of the season in overtime in Toronto, the Nuggets are 1-2, not winless but certainly not in a great place, either.
This sluggish start comes after a preseason that wasn’t pretty, and the three grueling regular season games so far (with the fourth coming Tuesday night in Brooklyn) show that as of now, if it’s at all about regular season wins, this year’s Nuggets are going to be almost exactly like last year’s Nuggets – heavily reliant on their starting five. They remain one of the weakest 3-point shooting teams in the NBA and are still desperate for someone off the bench to provide any consistent scoring.
Clearly, head coach Michael Malone wants to give more minutes to his young bench guys – specifically Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson – and is trying to help Russell Westbrook fit in. Maybe in time this group will mesh. Strawther – who at times looks like he’s playing with his hair on fire – will be able to play more under control and find the 3-point stroke his team so desperately needs. Perhaps Watson will find a way to contribute on offense in some fashion, and Westbrook – whose energy is fantastic but who can’t make a shot outside of the paint – will end up being a plus and not a nightly minus.
At the moment, even the Nuggets starting five looks out of sync. They look disjointed on the offensive end. There are possessions ending due questionable ball handling and uncharacteristic sloppy passing. At times they appear stale, a step slower than the opponent. Even their vaunted “lob” game has been off the mark. They find a way to stay in the game (other than getting blown out by an Oklahoma City team that’s loaded with skill and younger legs) and in Toronto, found a way to win one. But it looks so difficult all the time.
Malone was criticized for not playing his younger players more minutes last season, when doing so would have led to several more regular season losses. He was trying – for good reason – to get the top spot in the Western Conference and secure home court in the postseason. But while Denver set a record for regular season wins, they were also out of gas when the playoffs rolled around.
This time, Malone is more likely to stay committed to more minutes for Strawther and Company. With Christian Braun in the starting lineup now (and he’s played pretty well thus far) the bench is even less trustworthy. Newcomer Dario Saric has been awful, but will undoubtedly get better. If/when Westbrook settles in, he may adapt to his new role as well. Regardless, this “developmental” approach will undoubtedly lead to more losses and a far lower playoff seeding. We can only guess what that will mean come playoff time.
Maybe the bench does get dramatically better with more minutes, and if Denver is playing its best basketball come springtime, maybe home court won’t be so critical in the postseason. Given their salary cap situation and what they’ve committed to with the starting unit, that’s a gamble the organization has no choice but to take, even if it’s tough to watch right now.
