Strike 3: The preseason slate didn’t give us much in the way of insight as to what the (slightly) new look Denver Nuggets may be this season.
The record wasn’t good, but that falls into the “who cares” category. Fact of the matter is that for the first three quarters of the first game in Abu Dhabe, the Nuggets starters were handling the world champion Boston Celtics. Clearly the lack of depth on the roster is still a concern, because the bench play this preseason left a lot to be desired. Thursday night it all starts for real. That’s when we’ll find out if the improvements Nuggets fans are looking for are legit.
Opening night brings the defending Northwest Division champion Oklahoma City Thunder to town for what could end up being a significant head-to-head tiebreaker game. (Remember, last season, when the Thunder and Nuggets ended up with identical records, OKC won three of four against the Nuggets to earn the top seed.) The Nuggets got worked pretty badly by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren, the latter of whom had a couple of big time block parties against Denver last season.
That’s followed by a Saturday afternoon visit from another potential playoff foe, the Los Angeles Clippers, who have a brand new arena and also have designs on finally getting over the hump this season.
What should Nuggets fans look for in these first two home games? What questions can be answered, and which new ones might crop up?
First, the health of Jamal Murray is almost always going to be a concern. He had a very quiet preseason after having a lousy summer Olympics. We knew he was banged up late last season, and he pushed through it, but his production suffered. Is Jamal back? Is he healthy (murmurs about a sore knee are floating around) and can he play at a high level night in and night out?
Much of that may rest on the play of another question mark, future hall of famer Russell Westbrook, brought in to spell Murray and take some of the load off. Westbrook can do amazing things, but is typically not very consistent night in and night out. He’s reportedly embraced the backup point guard role, and is ready to help lead the young Nuggets bench. Can he be the facilitator Denver needs with the backups? How much will he play with Nikola Jokic? Can he hit an open 3-point shot? His reputation as a poor outside shooter means a lot of teams will let him take as many 3’s as he wants to.
Can Michael Porter Jr. get enough shots as the team’s third option to take some of the scoring load off of Jokic and Murray? Can he deliver night-in and night-out? Will this new and improved MPJ become a dependable defender and rebounder too?
Can young Julian Strawther become the scorer off the bench Denver needs so badly? Can he play any defense? Where does Dario Saric fit in? He’ll back up Jokic, but will he produce? Can he play facilitator in the same style as Joker?
When SGA and Holmgren come to town, will the Nuggets front court be able to play bully ball successfully? If Holmgren blocks another 10 shots on opening night, the answer is probably no.
These are not a “new look” group of Nuggets. There have only been a couple of additions. Nonetheless, in order to win a second NBA title in three seasons, they’ll need to do several things differently, and better, than a season ago.
