The Denver Nuggets head into their fifth preseason game Friday against the Chicago Bulls.
The Denver Nuggets have had a pretty successful start to the preseason, going 3-1 with a loss only to the Los Angeles Clippers. Three of their four games were on the road so far, and the Nuggets have won two of them. I have appreciated the resiliency from this unit, as most of the fan base has as well.
Another test in the young Chicago Bulls will be ahead of them tonight. The Nuggets will look to add another win to the tally in perpetration for a crucial regular season.
What should we look out for, and who do we need to keep tabs on?
The first thing to look out for is the defensive efforts of the big men. This will be a hot topic with this season because the defense has been lackluster in recent history, and the resurgence of Paul Millsap will help with that. I look for Nikola Jokic to improve on the defensive side of the ball, especially with his defensive anchor back.
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According to ESPN, this was a team that was 22nd in points allowed last year, allowing over 108 points per game. If you want to make the playoffs in this Western Conference, you have to play better defense.
Secondly, look out for Gary Harris. Harris will be going up against the team that drafted him tonight on the road. Yes, the Bulls basically made the pick for the Nuggets in a trade that sent him and Jusuf Nurkic to Denver for Doug McDermott. I think it’s safe the say the Nuggets win that deal, but Harris will be a key contributor on this team. He’s been out for part of the preseason with an injury, but look for him to truly get back on track tonight.
Lastly, keep your eyes on Monte Morris. Morris looks to take a majority of the backup point guard minutes while Isaiah Thomas continues to rehab a nagging hip injury, and Morris has been rather impressive so far. In the preseason so far?
Morris has averaged over 13 points and 5 assists per game, as a backup. (per FoxSports) If he continues these numbers, it should be fun to watch the second unit this year.