The Denver Nuggets are now in full-on rebuild mode. They traded away their (former) franchise point guard, Ty Lawson, who was a total headache but still helped the team on the court with his scoring and passing abilities.
Of course, they grabbed his replacement, Emmanuel Mudiay, with the seventh pick in this summer’s draft. Mudiay was projected by many to go in the top four, so he definitely fell into Denver’s lap.
New head coach Mike Malone now takes on a mix of potential-filled youngsters and middling veteran players and is trying to ingrain a defensive mindset in his squad while still maintaining its uptempo identity.
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Making the postseason is unlikely, mainly because the Western Conference is brutal and most of the rest of the teams have much more star power and experience than Denver.
It’s safe to say that the success or failure of the Nuggets’ 2015-16 season won’t be measured by wins, but on whether the team can establish an identity and a strong base of contributors for future years.
To that end, let’s look at four fun lineups Denver can experiment with at various points this season. These units could end up identifying future impact players for the team and help reveal what identity (or identities) the team should pursue.
Lineup No. 1: Time to Run
Emmanuel Mudiay-Nick Johnson-Will Barton-Wilson Chandler-Kenneth Faried
Any Nuggets lineup featuring Mudiay at the 1 is best-suited to playing at a fast pace. The 19-year-old’s athletic talents are special and it’s a waste confining him to the half court.
Johnson is an electric athlete whose vertical leap measured in at 41.5″ at the 2014 NBA Draft Combine. He’s been known to throw down some vicious dunks, and will put his abilities on display if Denver keeps him on the 15-man roster.
Barton is a lanky 6’6″ guard who would be playing out of position in this lineup, but his tremendous wingspan would create a lot of the steals (1.8 steals per 36 minutes with Denver last season) that would start breaks for the unit. He’s an inconsistent shooter, but some buckets in transition for the 24-year-old might help establish a rhythm.
Chandler and Faried are the two seasoned veterans of the group. Wilson would be a matchup nightmare for many power forwards with his speed while his three-point shooting stroke can also be a weapon on the break.
Faried is a renowned fast-break finisher who gets up the court faster than almost all big men. He can make difficult alley-oops look easy.
This lineup would give up a ton defensively with its lack of size and focus on that end, but the pure chaos that a breakneck pace can create just might make up for it.
Lineup No. 2: Bombs Away
Jameer Nelson-Gary Harris-Randy Foye-Danilo Gallinari-Nikola Jokic
Three-pointers are important in today’s NBA. The last five teams standings in this spring’s playoffs (the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Clippers) also happened to be the top five squads in three-point attempts during the regular season, so you know it’s definitely not a gimmick anymore.
The Nuggets definitely aren’t one of the better shooting teams in the league, but they’ll need to make the long ball a part of their attack to preserve spacing.
In the above lineup, it’s easy to imagine the ball being whipped around the perimeter as all five players can (and will) shoot the three-ball without hesitation.
Nelson and Foye are established veteran gunners who are no longer athletic enough to get to the rim consistently, so have fallen back on their long-distance abilities. Both are unselfish passers who can find the open man.
Harris had a nightmarish rookie season from behind the arc (21-of-103), but was a highly-regarded three-and-D prospect coming into the league last summer. Hopefully, in lineups such as these where other shooters help provide him with some room, he can bounce back.
Gallinari and Jokic are two European guys who aren’t exceptionally athletic, but are a nice fit with a three-point lineup with their feel for the game and smooth shooting strokes.
Would this group also struggle on defense? Yes. But if Denver wants to establish the three-ball as a weapon, this may be the group to do it.
Lineup No. 3: Lock It Up
Emmanuel Mudiay-Gary Harris-Wilson Chandler-Darrell Arthur-Jusuf Nurkic
Unlike the first two lineups, this unit will NOT struggle on defense.
Mudiay is probably the defensive weak link here, but with all the guys around him, he’ll have no choice but to buckle down on his man if he doesn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb. The only things standing between him and great stopping ability is focus and experience.
Harris, as we mentioned earlier, was touted as a potential three-and-D monster coming into the NBA. He wasn’t great on defense last year (as rookies rarely are), but he was solid and has the right mentality and instincts to get even better this season.
Chandler and Arthur are two veterans who’ll set the tone for this unit. Both are defensive-minded players, although Chandler’s effort faded in and out with last year’s dysfunctional squad. That will need to change as he tries to set an example for his younger teammates.
Nurkic was actually one of the better rim protectors in the NBA last season as a rookie, which is rare. His 6.8 fouls per 36 minutes were awful, obviously, but his beefiness combined with more experience will help him get even better. ESPN’s real plus-minus actually had him as the third-best defensive center in the NBA last year.
Lineup No. 4: The Youth Movement is Alive
Emmanuel Mudiay-Gary Harris-Will Barton-Joffrey Lauvergne/Nikola Jokic-Jusuf Nurkic
This lineup doesn’t have a clear identity, other than its focus on the future. All six players listed are 24 years old or younger
Mudiay is the point guard of the future and needs to get used to playing with the other promising youngsters on the roster. Thankfully, he’s already an ace passer who will endear himself to teammates by getting them the ball in position to score.
The clear weakness in this lineup is size on the wing, as Harris is undersized at 6’4″ and Barton is underweight at 174 pounds. In time, maybe this season, both should have the skill sets to overcome those limitations as a 2/3 combination.
Lauvergne and Jokic offer different looks at the 4 spot. 24-year-old Lauvergne is more of a traditional big man who operates in the low post and crashes the glass while 20-year-old is more of a finesse big who passes and shoots from the outside.
Nurkic, as we discussed before, is just a load inside. He demands high effort from his opponents on both ends of the court, using his 280-pound frame to tire out his matchups.