Denver Nuggets: Takeaways from Philadelphia
As mentioned above, we’ve seen flashes of what this team could be. We can be as certain as is possible that Jokic and the offensive game he commands are how the Nuggets will proceed.
It’s been an incredible roller-coaster. While Nikola’s rise is well-documented and has occurred under a microscope, other aspects of the Nuggets roster haven’t painted quite as clear a picture.
I think after Nikola, Gary Harris is the Nuggets most consistent and impactful player. His absence over the last four contests has been difficult for Denver. He leads the Nuggets in scoring (barely, over Jokic), is a premier back court defender and has the demeanor of leadership, even if that’s not his role.
Jamal Murray seems to have all of the physical tools needed to become a star in the league. At just 21 years of age, he’s a couple of years from gaining the maturity he’ll need to stabilize his performances.
It is wonderful to see the off-balance one-footed three-point shots fall, what we need to see is Murray hit those wide-open looks. That will come, I believe, we saw Steph Curry’s coming-out party against the Nuggets in the playoffs, once he established consistency to his game, the Warriors won championships and Steph won MVP awards. It’ll come for Jamal.
His skill and effort are not in question, as evidenced by his coast-to-coast drive and tomahawk in J.J.Reddick’s face.
Beyond that? Who knows. Barton is impossible to figure out. Lyles had a mid-season surge but has fallen back.
We don’t see enough of Beasley or Juancho to rate them effectively. Torrey Craig looks great, but the team has not put him under contract with the Nuggets. So he still has a long road to the permanent roster.
It’s not certain that Chandler, Arthur, Faried or Jefferson will return for 2018-19. Jokic has a team option for next season, it’s likely the Nuggets would like to free some cap to sign him long-term and not risk his becoming unrestricted.
It’s not certain that Michael Malone is the right coach or that he’ll return for a fourth season with the team.
Not to mention, there’s a lot of work to be done. This team was further from playoff contention than we want to admit.
They have the core to build upon, they should have the confidence of a winning season to work with. They should have draft and roster assets to make moves in the off season.
Their future remains bright.
Next: Top 10 defenders in Denver's history
Just not this year, they weren’t ready.