Five Ways the Denver Nuggets Can Salvage Their Season

Feb 9, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic (23) during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

1. Develop Jusuf Nurkic and Gary Harris at all costs.

Nurkic and Harris have made Tim Connelly and the Denver Nuggets front office look like a bunch of geniuses for grabbing them both in the 2014 NBA Draft. Nurkic has quickly emerged as a diamond in the rough; he’s a raw, defensive-minded bar-room brawler who is a maniac on the boards and unafraid to go toe-to-toe with anyone in the league. Plus, he’s quickly cemented himself as a fan favorite, gaining acclaim both in Denver and in the more informed corners of basketball fandoms. He has a lot of work to do, both in terms of developing anything resembling a consistent offensive game and learning not to slap and claw at every opponent that brings the ball within 10-feet of him. If he can find a way to score 10+ points a game and limit the number of fouls he draws every night, the sky is the limit for Nurkic.

While Harris hasn’t exploded onto the scene like Nurkic, he’s shown flashes of potential. When his shot is falling, he’s an offensive threat, whether he’s splashing jumpers or attacking the basket. And he’s a solid perimeter defender, which is an area where the Nuggets have struggled in recent years. That said, Harris has only appeared in 29 games and is averaging just 12.6 minutes per game in his rookie season, so we really don’t know much about the youngster out of Michigan State.

The Nuggets need to make sure Nurkic and Harris are on the floor as much as possible the rest of the season. Their development should be priority number one for head coach Brian Shaw and his staff. Nurkic will gain valuable experience being in the trenches against tough opponents, many of whom will still be playing hard as they battle for playoff position. And getting Harris plenty of run every night gives him the opportunity to adjust to the speed of the NBA game and gives the Nuggets the chance to evaluate his strengths and weaknesses so they know what he needs to focus on in the offseason to ensure he’s a key part of next season’s roster.

It doesn’t matter whose minutes have to suffer, if Shaw ensures Nurkic and Harris are on the floor as much as possible, the rest of this season won’t be a total waste.

Next: Figure Out if Will Barton Has a Future in Denver