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The Denver Nuggets would be wise not to double Donovan Mitchell

By Quenton S. Albertie

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 19: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz passes as Nikola Jokic #15 and Torrey Craig #3 of the Denver Nuggets defend during the first half of Game Two of a first round playoff game at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 19, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. 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. (Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 19: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz passes as Nikola Jokic #15 and Torrey Craig #3 of the Denver Nuggets defend during the first half of Game Two of a first round playoff game at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 19, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. 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. (Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images) /
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Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone needs a new defensive gameplan for Donovan Mitchell in Game 3.

The Denver Nuggets had plenty of issues in Game 2 that they’ll need to correct in Game 3 but while their poor body language and playing a step slower than the Utah Jazz were an issue, none were more glaring than their defense.

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone opted to throw double-teams at Jazz star Donovan Mitchell incessantly and he made them pay.

Mitchell consistently made the right pass to the open man, ending the game with 8 assists (tied for the game-high). For reference, Mitchell averaged 4.3 assists per game in the regular season and had a season-high of 9 assists. His career-high is 11 assists. Simply put, Denver allowed Spida to have one of the best passing games of his career.

Although he managed to have 7 assists in Game 1, the Nuggets weren’t just allowing it to happen and nearly half (3) of those went to Gobert as Mitchell dashed towards the rim. Only 1 assist, Mitchell’s last and when the game was already out of hand, went to Gobert in Game 2.

True enough, Mitchell took advantage of Denver’s lack of rim-protection and perimeter stoppers as he scored 57 points in Game 1. However, scoring 30 points in Game 2 while getting his teammates a bevy of open shots made the Jazz even tougher to beat.

This is in no small part due to Utah’s starters all shooting above 50% from the field in Game 2 (only two starters shot above 50% in Game 1). As a team, the Jazz shot 51.7% from the field and 45.5% from three in Game 2, while they shot 47.4% from the field and 34% from 3-point range in Game 1.

That said, it would be better for the Nuggets to defend Mitchell straight-up and possibly to alter their starting lineup rather than to continue letting Utah’s entire team get open shots from the field, where they can take advantage of their multiple 3-point marskmen.

While the Nuggets need to take more pride in their defense, being more aggressive on-ball when defending Mitchell, they may not have any player in their starting lineup capable of single-handedly slowing Mitchell for an entire game.

However, they should consider moving Torrey Craig (who has put forth an admirable effort in defending him) to the bench in favor of a more lithe defender in P.J. Dozier. The gamble wouldn’t hurt due to Dozier’s best strength being his defense on the perimeter.

Considering that Craig is averaging just 5.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 24.0 minutes per game in the first two games, it’s not as if he’s making a large impact elsewhere either. Dozier is averaging 3.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 19.0 minutes per game so it’s not as if he’s killing it out there either but if a defensive adjustment is to be made, he has as good a chance to slow down Mitchell as anybody on Denver’s team.

Another adjustment to consider is supplanting Paul Millsap in the starting lineup for a better rim-protector. While adding Mason Plumlee or Bol Bol to the starting lineup in place of Millsap may be too drastic, replacing Millsap with Jerami Grant isn’t.

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Grant is energetic and athletic, so while he’s not the defensive leader that the veteran Millsap is, he’s quicker when making rotations and springy enough to turn away shots from Mitchell (or others) near the rim when playing help defense. In fact, Grant leads the team with 3 total blocks so far this postseason.

Another advantage of having Grant goes back to the role he played in Game 1 near the end of the game, as his combination of length and athleticism was key to slowing down a scorching-hot Mitchell.

While the focus of this article is defense, Grant producing more than Millsap this postseason can’t be ignored either. Where Grant is averaging 13.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 23.5 minutes per game, Millsap is averaging 6.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 33.0 minutes per game.

Rebounding is a major issue for both players. However, Grant is more aggressive and the Jazz will have a tougher time slowing down a starting lineup with he, Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. while the Nuggets having more offensive threats on the floor could open more opportunities for their teammates.

The biggest issue with moving Grant to the starting lineup is that they’ll miss his production on the bench. This means that Monte Morris, who has played fairly well in the bubble on the whole, will  be counted on offensively and that Millsap will need to be more aggressive.

However, the bench isn’t who’s losing the game for Denver (the Jazz’s bench has outscored the Nuggets’ 69-68 through two games), it’s their defense against Mitchell.

Next. Why the Nuggets need Gary Harris to win it all. dark

That is the team’s number one concern moving forward.

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