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Denver Nuggets: Where do we get a winning attitude?

ByLucas Coryell|
DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 1: Gary Harris #14 of the Denver Nuggets celebrates after hitting the game winning shot against the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 1, 2018 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 1: Gary Harris #14 of the Denver Nuggets celebrates after hitting the game winning shot against the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 1, 2018 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

How do the Warriors, Patriots, Yankees ,Dodgers or even the hometown Broncos constantly remain  the teams in the championship discussion over time? A winning attitude! Where do the Denver Nuggets buy some?

Start with players like Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic believing that they belong and that “We can do this”. I believe with Jokic’s other worldly ability’s and Murray’s silky smooth touch paired with that edge he carries that they can do this.

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The Nuggets are the up and coming perennial contender. I’ll use the 2012-2013 Warriors that shocked the Nuggets in the playoffs to start their rise to a dynasty as an example. Spoiler Alert: the Nuggets should be better.

Hear me out here. Jokic (18.5 PPG) is the face of our franchise and a triple double machine, his counterpart would be Andrew Bogut(5.8 PPG). Paul Millsap (14.6 PPG) goes against David Lee(18.5 PPG).

Barton (15.7 PPG) faces Harrison Barnes(9.2 PPG). Murray (16.7 PPG) and Harris(17.5 PPG) face Curry (22.9 PPG) and Thompson (16.6 PPG) respectively.

(All PPG from https://www.basketball-reference.com and going off 2012-2013 Warriors and  2017-2018 Nuggets)

That’s 83 PPG from Denver’s starting 5 and 73 PPG for Golden State.

So their bench must be better then Denver’s? Not so fast Jarret Jack (12.9 PPG), Carl Landry (10.8 PPG), Festus Ezeli (2.4PPG) and yes Draymond Green (2.9 PPG) combined for 29 PPG as their next 4 scorers. Denver’s bench touts what figures to be Mason Plumlee (7.1 PPG) Trey Lyles ( 9.9 PPG) and yes Isaiah Thomas (15.2 PPG) that threesome is already at 32.2 PPG.

So Denver’s top 8 scorers from last year’s stats score 115.2 PPG and the top 9 from the 2012-2013 Warriors squad scored 102. Denver gave up 108.5 PPG last year and that Warriors squad gave up 100.3. Score differential from just these rotations minus opponent PPG… Denver +6.7 and Golden State +1.7.

So when I see these stats it’s obvious the Nuggets can score with anyone and their defense only has to be as good as last year’s unit to achieve an excellent 6.7 point differential that would rank them behind only Houston and Golden State in last years standings (ESPN), and +2.4 over the next contender in Utah. Placing them 3rd in the West as I’ve stated. (https://nugglove.com/2018/08/06/denver-nuggets-compete/)

All those analytics aside I’m writing this to our Nuggets players. You belong and you can do this so walk the walk night in and night out.

Young players let’s rise to stardom, and IT show the haters they’re wrong and this Nuggets squad could be on the verge of getting that swag and that “winning attitude” that drove other teams to the A list of contenders.

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