The Good, Bad and Ugly from Denver Nuggets' Early Season
The Denver Nuggets have had a rocky start to their 2014-15 campaign, going 1-2 with some ugly losses.
After having many of their key players return from season-ending injuries, it was reasonable to assume that the Nuggets would be one of the more improved teams in the Western Conference. Instead, they look less organized than last year, playing poor team defense and struggling to get out on the break and score the basketball, something they did so well when they made the playoffs in 2012-13.
While there have been good moments for Denver, there have also been many bad and some just plain ugly.
The Good: The Big Men
One positive that the Nuggets can take from their slow start this season is the quality play of their big men. Kenneth Faried, Timofey Mozgov and JaVale McGee have all improved from last year and helped to prevent Denver from a disastrous start.
Faried has looked much better on the offensive end this year, adding a solid mid-range jump shot to his arsenal. Defenders can no longer force him to drive to the basket, something they were able to do successfully in the past because of Faried’s lackluster shooting.
General manager Tim Connelly should be relieved that his gamble to sign Faried to a giant four-year, $50 million extension is paying off. In fact, with salaries expected to increase dramatically over the next few seasons, it’s even starting to look like a bargain.
Maybe the biggest surprise is the play of JaVale McGee. After playing sparingly in the preseason and losing his job as a starter, the future looked bleak for McGee entering 2014-15. However, McGee has been a monster during his time on the court, leading Denver in player efficiency rating at 28.6, shooting a ridiculous 64.7 percent from the field as well as averaging 3.0 blocks per game.
In addition, McGee has looked better every game. In Monday night’s loss to the Sacramento Kings, McGee went for 16 points, four boards and four blocks in just 14 minutes of action. The Nuggets have struggled to score the basketball in two of their games this season, so don’t be surprised if McGee sees the court a lot more going forward.
Timofey Mozgov has also looked good for the Nuggets early on. The Russian center is scoring, rebounding and playing solid defense, all things that Denver lacked from its big men at various times last season.
Through three games, Mozgov is averaging 11 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game and posting a PER of 18.85. If he can continue at that mark, he will finish the year as one of the most efficient centers in the league.
Even rookie Jusuf Nurkic has looked impressive at times and showed signs of becoming a good NBA player in the future. Nurkic has been a beast on the glass, averaging an unworldly 19.4 rebounds per 36 minutes. When he learns to improve his decision-making ability (he’s averaging 1.7 turnovers per game in limited action), Nurkic will be one of the better big men in the league.
The Bad: Ty Lawson
The Nuggets have not had an All-Star on their roster since Carmelo Anthony. If Denver is going to compete this season, it will need someone to step up and guide the Nuggets to the playoffs.
The most likely candidate to reach star status entering this season was Ty Lawson, and he has not delivered so far. Lawson is the longest-tenured player on the roster and someone who is capable of becoming an elite guard. Instead, he has been one of the biggest disappointments this year.
Lawson has struggled both offensively and defensively and is getting badly outplayed by lesser opponents. Lawson has posted a PER of 11.82, making him one of the most inefficient starters this year. In addition, the players he has covered, such as the Detroit Pistons' D.J. Augustin (15 points against the Nuggets) and Sacramento Kings' Darren Collison (21 points), have looked like the supreme point guards in the matchups.
A bright sign for Nuggets fans is that Lawson played particularly well against the Thunder in a 102-91 loss. In a game where few Denver players performed favorably, Lawson was 8-of-12 from the field and racked up 25 points. He will need more high-scoring and efficient games like this one if he wants to be included among the NBA’s elite.
If the Nuggets are to have any chance of making the postseason, they will need Ty Lawson to play much better on both ends of the floor. He is the one player on the roster who has the ability to make everyone around him better while still contributing himself.
The Ugly: Saturday Night's Loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder
If the Nuggets want to compete in the Western Conference this season, they must be able to take advantage of easy matchups, especially when it’s a divisional opponent.
A loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road usually wouldn’t be considered surprising for the Denver Nuggets. The Thunder have dominated the Nuggets in Oklahoma City in recent years, having defeated Denver during eight of the last nine matchups.
However, the Thunder were without perennial All-Stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook on Saturday night, which should’ve meant an easy win for the Nuggets. Instead, Oklahoma City badly outplayed Denver, leading to a 102-91 win.
The Nuggets' lack of defensive prowess caused many subpar players on the Thunder to have big games. To put things into perspective, Kendrick Perkins had failed to score over 12 points in a matchup during the entire 2013-14 campaign, yet he managed to put in 17 points in last Saturday’s battle.
Perry Jones had 23 points for the Thunder, the second-highest scoring output of his career. If the Nuggets cannot stop players such as Perkins and Jones from having big games, they will be in for a long year.
Not only was Denver ineffective in stopping the Thunder, but it also didn’t make up for it with its offense. The Nuggets did a poor job moving the ball on Saturday, and as a result, they were forced to take many tough shots. The bench was particularly bad, shooting 12-of-37 from the field.
Denver’s offense has looked flat early on this season. There has been a lack of ball movement, which has prevented them from taking open shots early in the shot clock.
Denver is at its best when it uses its young legs to run the floor and create fast-break opportunities. It is too undersized and lacks the experience to become a strong half-court team. Therefore, it must change its approach on offense to have a chance this year.
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