With two games left before the All Star Break the Nuggets appear to be running on fumes. The injury bug has forced the rotation to play increased minutes and different roles. For the most part the Mile High Crew has done a fabulous job under the guidance of Michael Malone whom should be a serious contender for coach of the year, but now they’re on a three game losing streak and in danger of going into the break on a sour note.
Nikola Jokic has continued his All Star caliber play, but the supporting cast hasn’t been enough. Many of the players that were contributing great “situational basketball” in their supporting roles have been forced into the starting lineup or into new roles with the injuries to Gary Harris , Paul Millsap , and Jamal Murray. Some guys have elevated their game namely Monte Morris ,and Malik Beasley but the overall game plan and mentality seems to have slipped with all the revolving pieces.
The good news is that the All Star break is nearly here. Murray is on the road to recovery and we all hope that rest can get Harris and Millsap back to full strength. Also, the fact that Isaiah Thomas was set to play five-on-five in the G-League tells me he needs only to get in game shape before making his Nuggets debut.
The road has been hard and appears to have worn the Nuggets down a bit. If Denver can get the key starters back and our role players can go back to a more familiar role then the future looks bright for this historically good Nuggets squad. Not to mention Isaiah Thomas could be Denver’s big splash at the trade deadline and they forfeited nothing from the current team to acquire him. So let’s hope the Nuggets can find a way to go into the break on a good note and come out firing on all cylinders for the playoff push.