Grading the Denver Nuggets’ most-used lineups in 2022-23 season
By Alexandros Tsakos
The second lineup consists of arguably the four best players on the Denver Nuggets roster this season, with the unit including Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, and KCP. This is the best two-way five-man lineup Denver has available with the group having 214 minutes on the floor together this year, and allowing only 100.2 points per 100 possessions.
At the same time, they keep blitzing the opponents’ defense with 120.0 points and a plus/minus net rating of 19.8, which is the best among the five most-used lineups by Michael Malone. The issue with that five-man combination has to do more with players remaining on the floor, as Michael Porter Jr. has been dealing with injuries all season.
However, taking a deeper look into that lineup helps us understand that it’s consisted of the most elite group of players on the Nuggets’ roster. Therefore, the same group has a plus/minus net rating of -22.8 in the first quarter of the games through 74 minutes this season.
Furthermore, they are also having success as a closing group in limited time (26 minutes) through the fourth quarter outscoring opponents by 16.8 points and allowing just 90.0 points per 100 possessions.