I think it’s safe to say that the Denver Nuggets have gotten off to a pretty disappointing start, especially when you consider how encouraging that first victory against the Rockets was.
After that game, I wrote how the Nuggets showed us a glimpse into their future, and that’s exactly what it was: Their future. Maybe those Nuggets will show up a few more times this year, and hopefully they’ll become a mainstay down the line, but right now, that’s not who this team is.
This team is, at best, mediocre.
And that’s not the worst thing in the world. Of course this isn’t a great team — they won 30 games last year! — but that doesn’t mean this is the team we’re going to see for the next 77 games. Yes, there are some issues that need to be resolved. But let’s see if they can resolve them before we go calling this season a total wash.
Here are the three biggest things that are currently holding the Nuggets back:
Energy:
The energy we saw against the Rockets has yet to repeat itself this season, and it’s evident in both the fastbreak and the half court.
Through five games, the Nuggets are currently 20th in the NBA with 11 fastbreak points a game, down from the 15 they averaged last season (7th in the NBA). And as any knowledgable basketball fan knows, when you’re in Denver, you need to run. Not just because that’s what the Nuggets do best, but because at 5,280 feet, that’s what opponents do worst.
You can say that it’s a product of Michael Malone’s half-court offense, but even when the Nuggets do have the opportunity to push the ball on the break, they just look lackadaisical. It shows itself in the half court, too. The ball isn’t zipping around the court, guys are just standing around at the three-point line, nobody can set a solid screen and the game always ends up devolving into a one-on-one pickup game.
There’s no fire. There’s no excitement.
We know it’s possible, but the second things start to go awry, it’s almost as if the spirit of the 2014-15 team takes over and the Nuggets shell up.
Is this fixable? You’d hope so. But it starts with the coach, and right now, Malone needs to break a lot of bad habits.
Rotation:
Did I miss something, or did the Nuggets put a minutes restriction on the entire starting lineup?
Danilo Gallinari leads the Nuggets in minutes with 33.6 a game, and that’s only good for 36th in the NBA. And why is Kenneth Faried only getting 28? Michael Malone has seemingly decided to run with one of the deepest benches in the league, entirely overlooking the fact that his roster is, well, not that deep, especially when Wilson Chandler and Jusuf Nurkic are still sidelined with injuries.
Right now, Denver has 11 guys averaging over 15 minutes a game; the Spurs, the king of distributing minutes, only have eight.
And what’s even more confusing is that the Nuggets have actually been successful when relying on their starting lineup. Against the Rockets, Gallo (35), Faried (30) and Mudiay (37) all played heavy minutes on route towards an upset victory. In fact, both times Malone has given those three 30-plus minutes, the Nuggets have won.
Throw Gary Harris into the mix, too. For whatever reason, Malone seems to go through 15 minute stretches where he forgets that Harris is even on the team.
If Denver is going to surprise anybody this season, it’s going to be because of Gallo, Faried, Mudiay and Harris, not Will Barton or Darrelle Arthur.
[adrotate banner=”6″]Injuries:
And this is why Nuggets Nation can’t start panicking just yet. Remember, we’re still missing two of our five best players in Wilson Chandler and Jusuf Nurkic. And I’m hoping that when they get back into the lineup, Malone’s rotations will start to fall into place.
I respect Will Barton, and I like the energy he brings to the court, but Chandler is a much, much better player. And the same goes for Nurkic and anybody the Nuggets are currently playing at center — though Joffrey Lauvergne has played well when healthy.
When at full strength, Malone needs to start shortening his bench. I’d like to see a solid nine-man rotation, with Nelson, Chandler and Lauvergne leading the bench unit while using Barton in that spark-plug role every team needs. Darrell Arthur, J.J. Hickson and Randy Foye all bring something to the table, but right now, they’re probably better off joining Mike Miller down at the end of the bench — they should make a great cheer squad.