Denver Nuggets: Player grades from a blowout win in Chicago

The Denver Nuggets took out some frustration on the hapless Bulls last night, but the win did little to encourage an embattled fan base.

I don’t want to be “the bummer” but it’s hard, at this point to feel anything encouraging, even with blowout wins against lottery-bound teams.

I’ve read a lot the past couple of days about how maybe our expectations are a little out-of-line and that the improvement the team has shown this season is more in-line with where they should be at this point in their development.  I, myself wrote over the summer that Denver should temper expectations and stay-the-course with this talented but young squad.

It’s true.  The things I was saying over the summer stay in place.  The Nuggets are not going to win a championship this year.  The Nuggets are not going to win a playoff series this year.  If we get too out-of-hand with our expectations, those things aren’t going to happen, at all.

The stewards of that time, when the Nuggets will be competing for a title, played well last night.  Jokic, Murray, Lyles and Plumlee played well.  They were efficient and carried the Nuggets to the 135-102 blowout that should have refreshed the idea that the future is bright for this squad.  Keep in mind that the “old man” of that group is Mason Plumlee, at 28.  The Core are all under 25, Murray is just 21.  There’s an old thing out there that says the prime age for a professional athlete is 27.  At 27, you are still in possession of all the physical tools but you’ve still gotten the wisdom of time.  Our gang will be entering that “prime” just as the Warriors and Rockets are fading.

It seems insane to ask fans to wait another four seasons for the kind of success this squad seems capable of but that is exactly what I’m asking.  We can wait four years and see this team in the Conference Finals and NBA Finals or we can fire Malone and blow up this roster and doom the Nuggets to fringe playoff hopes forever.

I wrote recently about leadership and that the Nugget have never had that on-floor leader.  It’s not without credibility that Jokic will accelerate into that role.  I can appreciate that this season is early to ask that of the big man.  He’s just exploring the limits of his game and his role.  In what is essentially his first full season, Nikola is far ahead of the curve.  He is as unique a talent as there is in the NBA, currently. His leadership will also be unique.

These are discussions for another time, let’s look at how some of the “others” fared last night for the Nuggets: