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Three advanced stats that prove the Denver Nuggets will be successful

By Grayson Moore

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) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 26: Denver Nuggets Center Nikola Jokic (15) carries the ball guarded by Philadelphia 76ers Center Joel Embiid (21) in the second half during the game between the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers on March 26, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 26: Denver Nuggets Center Nikola Jokic (15) carries the ball guarded by Philadelphia 76ers Center Joel Embiid (21) in the second half during the game between the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers on March 26, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

The Denver Nuggets have a love-hate relationship with advanced statistics.

Usually, the difference comes when discerning between offensive and defensive stats. I’ll provide a few examples.

The Nuggets had the 6th best offensive rating in the league and the 7th best true shooting percentage last season. They averaged the 5th most assists per game in the league and had the 7th best 3-point shooting percentage. Sounds pretty good, right?

Well, they also had the 5th worst defensive rating in the league and gave up the 5th worst effective field goal percentage. Their opponents had the 20th lowest turnover percentage and the Nuggets averaged the 21st most steals per game. And despite opponents taking only 33.2% of their shots from 3-point range, which was the 19th highest number in the league, the Nuggets gave up 893 total 3-pointers, which was the 10th most in the league.

You can see the massive discrepancy between offense and defense for the Nuggets. That isn’t a great sign for Denver, as most championship/successful teams in NBA history strike a nice balance between offense and defense.

However, with that in mind, here are 3 unconventional stats that show the Nuggets will be successful in the future.

(Note: All stats via Basketball-Reference or NBA.com unless otherwise noted.)

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