How can the Denver Nuggets fix their defensive woes?

The Denver Nuggets are off to a nice start to the 2022-23 NBA season as they currently sit tied with the New Orleans Pelicans at 22-12, good enough for first place in the Western Conference.

Despite some impressive performances as of late, the Nuggets have not been playing the best on the defensive end, in particular, highlighted by their most recent loss against the Kings on December 28 in which Denver gave up a 19-point lead in the third quarter before crumbling late in the fourth.

Currently, the Nuggets have the seventh-worst defensive net rating in the NBA at 114.1 and allow more than 114 points per game, which also ranks near the bottom of the league. Considering the fact that when GM Calvin Booth stepped in it was clear that Denver wanted to improve the roster defensively, this is not at all where the Nuggets need to be at this point in the season.

In years past, Denver Nuggets teams were splattered with All-Star talents like Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, and Chauncey Billups which enabled them to go deep into the playoffs. Even if these were not renowned defensive teams, they typically finished right in the middle of the pack in defensive efficiency.

Even still, it is safe to say that those mid to late 2000s teams were wasted due to their lack of defense. So, if Booth and the rest of the Nuggets’ front office want to take advantage of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. while they are all in the prime of their careers, then they need to find ways to improve on this end of the court.

Here are three ways they can do just that.

Mindset 

The Denver Nuggets are not generally an organization known for their defense, but this current roster has arguably the most potential to be a top-ten defensive unit in the NBA. Head coach Mike Malone has talked about wanting to be a top-ten defense and you can bet that is why Denver went out and really prioritized defense this past offseason.

Players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown, Christian Braun, and Aaron Gordon are all way too good of defensive players for the Nuggets to be this bad on that end of the floor. Simply put, being 24th in the NBA in defensive net rating is not acceptable given the current roster construction and the whole organization knows that.

Aaron Gordon recently spoke with Mile High Sports beat writer Ryan Blackburn about the Denver Nuggets’ defense after deafening the Utah Jazz a few weeks back.

"“We need to pay a little bit more attention to detail throughout the game on the defensive end,” Gordon said. “A little bit more urgency throughout the game… It’s about us. When it comes down to it, it’s not really about the other team and the competition. It’s about the standard that we hold outselves to and the principles we hold ourselves to.”"

In order for Denver to be a serious championship contender, they have to be a top-ten defensive team, particularly when you consider that the best defensive teams generally end up being one of the two teams standing when all is said and done.

The saying that defense wins championships is absolutely true in every sport but especially in the NBA. The good news is that the Denver Nuggets have the potential to evolve into a very good defensive team if they can just lock in, hence why they are second in clutch defense allowing just 85.3 points per game.

Tweaks to the Rotation

In Denver’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies on December 20, we saw some changes within the rotation that dramatically shifted the outcome of the game. Nuggets rookie Christian Braun stepped up scoring 13 points to go along with a steal and a block, while Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope helped to slow down the efficient scoring of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Dillon Brooks, effectively limiting each in the scoring department.

Braun, in particular, has made massive strides this season and has already molded into a key rotational piece for the Denver Nuggets as he not only brings consistent shooting but also the perimeter defense and athleticism to compete with other guards.

Most importantly, the former Kansas Jayhawk loves to compete and he has made it clear that he is not afraid to go nose-to-nose with anyone in the NBA, even the Grizzlies All-Star guard, Ja Morant.

In addition, Denver made the to give third-year big man Zeke Nnaji minutes over the savvy veteran DeAndre Jordon. Head coach Mike Malone has not played Nnaji a lot when healthy but it does seem that Malone wants to start finding ways to get Nnaji more involved moving forward, as per his conversation with Mike Singer of the Denver Post.

"“We need to find out if Zeke Nnaji can be apart of this team. He deserves that chance,” Malone said. “Nobody can play one game and sit five. We know we have to get him on the floor”."

It certainly seems that Malone wants to get even younger and more athletic by giving both Nnaji and Braun more minutes. It was indeed a coming-out party for both Christian Braun and Zeke Nnaji in the game against the Grizzlies as they each showed signs of being an effective rotation piece.

Timing 

Regardless of the sport, timing is a factor every team needs to consider. For the Denver Nuggets, the team had arguably one of their most active offseasons in recent memory, bringing in guys like KCP, Bruce Brown, Christian Braun, and DeAndre Jordon and a big reason why these players were prioritized is because of the value they bring on the defensive end of the court.

As it stands right now, we are just under the halfway mark in the 2022-23 NBA season and there’s still a long road ahead before the Nuggets can vie for their first-ever championship title. Although, before they can even think about sniffing any sort of hardware, they need to become more consistent on defense.

A big factor in the Nuggets not being a consistent defensive team could be that they simply need more time to gel together. The Nuggets have poured a lot of assets into making this team a top-ten defensive unit in the NBA but this is also the first season a lot of these players have had to compete with one another.

Taking this into account, it isn’t quite time to panic just yet, and even despite these defensive woes, the Denver Nuggets still carry one of the better records in the association. They also rank second in clutch game defense, as previously noted, which in and of itself should prove that when everyone is locked in, this can be a top defensive team.