Denver was terrible in many defensive categories this past season.
It is no secret that the Denver Nuggets need to shore up the defense this off season. They possessed one of the best offenses in the league while only Houston and Golden State were more high powered at that end of the court.
However, what was the Nuggets’ downfall was the defensive side of the ball. If you do not believe me, then just take a look at some of the statistics.
Denver Nuggets
Per nba.com, Denver had the 29th ranked defense in the league this past year. The only team who was worse was the lowly Los Angeles Lakers. They also had a terrible defensive rating 110.5 and allowed their opponents to average 18 points off of turnovers. These numbers need to significantly improve next year if the Nuggets want to make the post season.
On top of this, Denver also only averaged 3.9 blocks per game to go along with 6.9 steals per game. There were only three other teams who averaged less blocks per game and they were the Lakers, Pistons and Mavericks.
Notice that all of these teams missed the playoffs this season. Do not think this is just a coincidence. The phrase “defense wins championships,” does not exist for nothing. The Golden State Warriors, one of the Finals teams, is the second ranked team this season in defensive rating. They have great offense, but they also know how to lock their opponent down. This has a lot to do with their success.
If Denver wants to return to the post season, they must make a concerted effort to improve these defensive numbers next year.