Another disastrous preseason showing has Nuggets fans in panic mode

Okay, what is going on with the Nuggets? The offseason wasn’t great, but by the end of it I had talked myself into the young players stepping up, the core four players being as motivated as ever, and even the additions of Russell Westbrook and Dario Saric. The team seemed like they had an edge about them, that they were pissed off and ready to get to work and prove their doubters wrong.

All of that might still be true, and the team may be fine, but so far, they have looked uninspiring at best. The Abu Dhabi trip was okay overall; it seemed like a good bonding experience and a chemistry builder. The team lost both games, but they were playing the Celtics and the whole thing seemed more like an exhibition for the NBA on a global scale more than informative basketball games.

But now the team has played two games back on American soil and this is supposed to be the time for them to be ramping up and getting into regular season mode. They lost on Sunday night to a Suns team that rested all of their starters. The Denver starters (other than Jamal Murray who came out at halftime) played three quarters of the game and weren’t able to create any separation.

Michael Malone has not been happy with the Nuggets

After the game, head coach Michael Malone called out his team for poor defensive effort and a lack of conditioning. They got dominated from behind the three-point line yet again, and Jamal Murray didn’t look like his usual self at all. It was a pretty concerning showing overall, but just one preseason game.

So the team took the floor again on Wednesday night with a chance at redemption, yet they looked even worse, getting pounded by the Thunder 124-94. It’s important to point out that Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Russell Westbrook, and Peyton Watson sat this game out, but this was about much more than the talent on the floor.

Again, the Nuggets mostly looked like a group of players going through the motions. They allowed 30+ points in three quarters and the defense looked lethargic and very beatable yet again - which isn’t something Jokic and Murray will fix.

They got beaten soundly from the three-point line again, making just 10 threes while giving up 17. And they were extremely sloppy, turning the ball over 22 times and having just 25 assists - a dreadful assist/turnover ratio.

Is it time to panic?

Right now, this doesn’t look like a team that is anywhere close to ready for regular season basketball. They look soft and outright bad on defense, and with the lack of shooting, the offense isn’t nearly good enough to make up for it.

Malone said after the game that he’s not panicking but he is concerned. It’s good that the coach isn’t going to panic during the preseason, but if fans are, I can’t blame them. This looks really bad and all the things we were supposed to believe in, don’t exactly look like they’re coming to fruition.

Luckily, the Nuggets have time to fix this and turn things around, but the regular season is just a week away. They can’t afford a slow start in a loaded Western Conference or the season could slip away from them quickly. 

Malone was asked if he sensed an air of revenge from his team; something Nuggets fans are dying to see from their team. His response wasn’t exactly encouraging, “I haven’t seen it yet”.