Denver Nuggets at first glance

The Denver Nuggets started off the season with a win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Despite a tough shooting night the Denver  Nuggets were able to overcome the Clippers on the road.

The starters were all 8 or higher in the plus minus column. So what promise did we see and what concerns do we have?

What I liked My favorite thing from the Clippers game was probably the veteran presence of Paul Millsap at both ends of the court especially on defense.

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Paul again struggled to find his shooting touch but found value elsewhere with his defense and 16 rebounds. With some late free throws he even managed a double double.  Nikola Jokic had a solid if unspectacular night with 21 pts 8rebs , and 5 assists.

Will Barton brought his scoring power to the starting lineup and put my fears to rest somewhat that the ball would get sticky in his hands. Gary Harris was solid as well putting up 20 pts and his undervalued skills that don’t make the stat sheet can’t be overlooked.

Concerns There were concerns in what was ultimately an ugly win. First of all the 15 point 3rd quarter was a reminder of the lulls the Nuggets offense can fall into. Luckily for the Nuggets, the Clippers only managed 18 pts of their own so the Nuggets prevailed.

Perhaps it was a defensive quarter for both squads, but the Nuggets can’t afford too many stretches of stagnant offense that plagued them at times last season. The addition of Isaiah Thomas may remedy these stretches once he’s healthy.

Jamal Murray also didn’t have his best game in the opener which isn’t yet a cause for concern, but the Nuggets high hopes were partially based on a step forward from Jamal so fans hope to see that jump here soon.

Overall the Nuggets looked the team to threaten other Western Playoff Contenders, but it was in the end one game with both reasons for hope and fear.

The Nuggets are likely to shoot better then 37.9% and 33.3 from 3pt range as the season goes on as they shot 47% and 37% last year, but opponents may shoot better then the Clippers did as well. Last year, opponents shot 47.6% and 37.8% from 3pt range. So here’s to hoping the defense has improved and the offense has yet to hit it’s shooting stride.

If that’s the case the Nuggets are a very dangerous team for anyone in the NBA to face.