Last season, the achilles heel of the Nuggets was the defense, but it seems there has been adjustments.
If one could point to one aspect which kept the Denver Nuggets out of post season contention, it would be defense. The Nuggets were second to last in defensive efficiency last year only ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers, but after what has transpired this preseason, expect this statistic to skyrocket this coming regular season.
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In the three games in which they have won, the Nuggets have seemingly embraced a whole new type of defensive mindset.
The Nuggets have seemed a lot more active on defense this preseason and switching on pick and rolls a lot more and in a more effective way. Last season, they were very lackadaisical on the screens and did a poor job of switching and/or fighting through them and as a result, got burned multiple times due to this.
Denver is not going to jump from being possibly the worst defensive unit in the league to the best in the span of one year, but they certainly have the talent now to jump up to possibly the top 15. The Nuggets have a new defensive weapon in Paul Millsap who will greatly aid in rim protection and Gary Harris should start the season healthy after missing the first couple of months of the regular season last year.
Not to mention, the young core of Denver has another year of experience underneath their belt, so look for them to make some improvements in their game on the defensive end of the court.
This preseason has been treating the Nuggets greatly and while the defense still has plenty of work to do, it is already looking much better than it did last season.
Next: Nuggets: Where does their front court rank?
Watch for more defensive improvements as the year progresses.