The Denver Nuggets are 3-3 to start the NBA season.

After struggling out of the gate, the Nuggets have stabilized by going 3-1 on two separate back-to-backs, three of which occurred on the latest road trip. Denver won the games they were supposed to win, and while the first two overtime wins were a bit suspect, the last win, a blowout effort against the Utah Jazz, was a good sign of the team stabilizing.

The NBA season has been going strong for close to two weeks now, and I have some initial takes on the Nuggets so far. Let’s take a closer look.

Nikola Jokic might win MVP again

It’s always a joy to watch Nikola Jokic play basketball. There are small things to quibble with like the occasional bad turnover or slow feet defensively, but those things never outweigh the incredible moments and impact.

This season is no different. Jokic is currently scoring better than he’s ever had while nearly averaging a triple-double. He’s putting up 29.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game while shooting an outrageous 59.3% from three-point range. What he’s doing on offense is absolutely ridiculous, almost willing the Nuggets back to a 3-3 record after starting 0-2.

Other expected MVP candidates have some holes in their resumes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has shot the ball below his standard from three despite the Oklahoma City Thunder starting the year 6-0. Ditto for Luka Doncic, whose per game numbers and shooting efficiency have dipped. Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to have a tough case with the Milwaukee Bucks starting the year 1-5. Jayson Tatum shows flashes, but his impact numbers aren’t spectacular.

If the Nuggets can right the ship and win 50 games, it’s going to be difficult to keep Jokic out of the MVP discussion, no matter how much people may not want to give him another MVP award.

Christian Braun is different, not worse, from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Through six games, Christian Braun has been a bright spot in the Nuggets starting lineup. I didn’t expect him to be fully integrated into the KCP minutes load as starting shooting guard, but he’s averaging 35 minutes per game, and for good reason.

Braun is averaging 14.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game to go with 1.0 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. He’s filling up the box score despite playing the fifth option role offensively, and that’s not all. He’s also scoring very efficiently with 52.5/42.1/88.2 shooting splits. That’s good for a 63.5 True Shooting %.

The biggest concern with Braun was that he wasn’t going to be able to hold up offensively for the Nuggets as a 3-and-D role player. The defense has been solid, perhaps not as good as KCP overall. He’s had some great moments though. The three-point shooting, despite the percentage being there, still needs some work. Braun’s at 4.4 threes attempted per 100 possessions, which is less than Caldwell-Pope’s 6.4 in 2023-24.

And yet, the Nuggets have been successful with Braun out there. In the 200+ minutes when he and Jokic share the floor, the Nuggets have a 127.7 Offensive Rating and +16.7 Net Rating overall.

Those are tremendous numbers, and they emphasize something important. Braun isn’t KCP, but that’s because he’s different and not because he’s worse. Braun’s a big target, rebounds more, gets more involved consistently, and is always trying to make a play. Caldwell-Pope was a better, more aggressive outside shooter, but always settling for the three isn’t a good idea. Braun’s ability to get to the rim and finish (74.2% at the rim for Braun this year, 61.5% at the rim last year for KCP) is a notable change and makes up some of the difference.

There will be some bumps in the road, but the bet that the Nuggets made that Braun is ready to fill in as a starter appears to be paying off.

Bench shooting must improve, no matter what

There’s no getting around it. The Denver Nuggets bench is bad at shooting threes.

Well, except for Julian Strawther. He’s shot 8-of-17 from three-point range through six games and finally got some extra shots up in Saturday’s matchup with the Utah Jazz. His usage rate of 16.3% is too low for one of Denver’s biggest threats on the floor.

Here’s the three-point shooting totals for other Nuggets reserves to play rotation minutes this year:

  • Russell Westbrook: 136 minutes, 4-of-19 from three (21.1%)
  • Peyton Watson: 95 minutes, 1-of-10 from three (10.0%)
  • Dario Saric: 44 minutes, 0-of-3 from three (0.0%)
  • Hunter Tyson: 33 minutes, 0-of-3 from three (0.0%)
  • DeAndre Jordan: 14 minutes, 0-of-0 from three (shrug)

Summing that up is a crime against humanity, but I’m going to do it anyway: 5-of-35 from three (14.3%).

Developing a certain level of cohesiveness will help the Nuggets overall, but it’s fair to say that Denver’s starving to make some threes on their second unit. In just the general non-Jokic minutes, the Nuggets have posted an 81.3 offensive rating. The current average in the NBA today, according to Cleaning the Glass, is 113.3 points per 100 possessions. So, Denver’s been roughly 32 points per 100 possessions under par. That’s an insurmountable gap on most nights.

Denver needs some of these non-shooters to turn into shooters rather quickly. Hunter Tyson should be a good candidate to help the Nuggets in theory, but he’s struggled to hit threes in NBA games despite making them consistently behind the scenes. If he could get hot, that would help.

Peyton Watson and Dario Saric simply returning to their career averages would be great. Watson’s at 29.5% for his career. That’s not awesome, but it’s playable. Saric was supposed to be a floor spacer in Denver, but he’s not getting a lot of threes, and he’s not playing well in any other area. He’s a career 36.1% three-point shooter. That would be tremendous for Denver right now.

If the current cast of bench guys can’t find some spacing, the Nuggets need to go outside of the roster and get it. Period. End of story. An 81.3 offensive rating is untenable.