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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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DENVER, CO – March 18: Gary Harris
DENVER, CO – March 18: Gary Harris /

Stat #2: The lineup of Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Will Barton, Paul Millsap, and Nikola Jokic ranked 2nd in the NBA last year in PIE and net rating

The projected starting lineup for the Nuggets next year is one of the best in the NBA(statistically).

Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets /

Denver Nuggets

Let’s start with PIE. PIE stands for Player Impact Estimate and is described by NBA.com as a stat that shows the percentage of game events a player/team achieved. Those 5 guys posted a PIE of 70.7 when they were on the court, only behind a NO Pelicans lineup with Boogie Cousins and former Nugget Jameer Nelson.

That Nuggets lineup also excelled in several rating systems. They ranked 8th among qualified lineups in offensive rating(124.7) and, astonishingly enough, 12th in defensive rating(92.0). That left them with a net rating of 32.7, which was the second-best among qualified lineups, behind just a 76ers team with Ben Simmons and Robert Covington.

The lineup also ranked 5th in true shooting percentage(66.0%) and 11th in effective field goal percentage(61.0%). They ranked top 50 in assist ratio and percentage and t-7th in box plus/minus.

Unfortunately, there is one problem with all of these outstanding stats: they’re based on an incredibly small sample size.

This lineup played in just 13 games for a total of 65 minutes. It accounted for less than 1% of Denver’s total minutes last season, but it will now likely account for a majority of them. So while it has performed well in an incredibly small sample size, we don’t really know how it will do when it’s the main combination for the team.

The early results are encouraging, however.

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