Are the Denver Nuggets a sleeping giant waiting to awaken?

The Denver Nuggets are now 7-3 through the first 10 games of the 2022 NBA season and they’ve managed to put some dominant wins together along the way.  The Nuggets have won 5 of their last 6 games and Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, and Bones Hyland have each had spectacular performances along the way.

Before the season started, there were many speculations about how good the Denver Nuggets starting lineup could be when fully healthy this season. Well, so far the results are exceeding expectations.

The Denver Nuggets are currently the best shooting team in the NBA  and they also lead the NBA in three-point shooting as well. While there are many reasons why the Nuggets’ offense has exploded over the first ten games, it starts with the red-hot shooting of Michael Porter Jr., Ketavious Caldwell-Pope, and Bones Hyland.

MPJ and KCP off to a historic shooting start

Michael Porter Jr. is currently averaging 17.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.2 assist a game through the first nine games, shooting 48.7% from the field and 49.3% from 3PT on 7.4 attempts per game. He’s gotten off to a historic shooting start so far and has been a huge reason why the Denver Nuggets were the best shooting 3PT team through nine games (with at least 250 3PA) in NBA history.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been one of the NBA’s elite shooters in his own right. He is currently shooting 50.0% from the field and 52.4% from 3PT on 4.7 3PA/G. He is also shooting an absurd 55.0% on his corner three-point shots which, given his role in the Denver Nuggets offense, forces the defense to constantly be on the alert for where he is on the court.

In fact, when Jokic and KCP share the court together, they have a 122.4 offensive rating, per NBA.com, which leads the Denver Nuggets amongst two-man pairings with over 100 minutes this season.

Bones Hyland blossoming into a bonafide star

Bones Hyland, who had a spectacular game against the San Antonio Spurs in Denver, is shooting 51.1% from 3PT on 5.6 3PA/G this season. His ability to extend the defense from the perimeter has been the central heartbeat for a Denver Nuggets bench unit that is still struggling to find its way.

His development in year two has been as up-and-down, as you could expect from a second-year player, but Bones has shown that he has star-level qualities that will help the Nuggets this season in their pursuit of a championship.

Jamal Murray started this season shakily, as many expected after returning from 18 months away from basketball due to a torn ACL, but over the last four games, he is showing signs of the player, post-Bubble, who was on an All-Star ascension.

Over his last four games, Jamal Murray is averaging 19.3 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 47.8% from the field and 42.1% from the 3PT line. His passing has been on full display recently and his chemistry with Nikola Jokic has been emerging in late-game situations as well.

During their 122-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Jamal Murray went on a scoring tear that began at the end of the third quarter and carried over into the fourth quarter, ultimately shifting the momentum of the game back in the Nuggets’ favor. Murray’s ability to make tough shots coupled with decisive dribbling skills is what makes him such a unique talent in the NBA.

Next up, the Denver Nuggets have the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday and the Boston Celtics in a Nationally Televised game on Friday. Let’s see if the Nuggets can continue this momentum into Indiana and Boston.