The Nuggets were able to get back in the win column on Wednesday night, beating the Kings, 116-110, but a lot of their deep-rooted issues were on display. Lately, we’ve been seeing defenses sell out to stop Nikola Jokic and force other Nuggets to beat them.
JJ Redick and the Lakers started this trend, throwing multiple bodies at Jokic, fronting him in the post and denying him full court, showing him all kinds of switches, pushing him off his spots, being extremely physical, daring other players to beat them, and daring refs to call fouls.
So far, it has proven to be pretty effective and has given Denver a lot of problems. They’ve gone 3-3 in their last six games and this defensive gameplan has been a constant theme. Teams are clearly taking note of the blueprint to slow down Jokic and the Nuggets dynamic offense.
They’re only going to see more and more of these looks as the season goes on and once the playoffs start it will be a nightly occurrence. Luckily, there is still time for the Nuggets to experiment and try some things, but no matter what buttons Michael Malone and his staff push, they aren’t going to be able to change the personnel and improve the roster.
Nuggets’ lack of shooting may be death sentence
At the end of the day, the main reason this gameplan is so effective and feasible for teams to employ stems from the lack of shooting and floor spacing around Jokic. Teams are willing to crowd Jokic and dare everyone else to beat them because they simply don’t fear the complementary players.
Jamal Murray is excellent when he has it going, and he’s the one other guy who will draw the focus of the defense. But even Murray can disappear for stretches and has never shot a high enough volume of three-pointers.
Michael Porter Jr. is a great shooter, but he’s still a little timid and hesitant and can be very streaky. Everyone else who plays in key situations is an inconsistent shooter at best. Russell Westbrook, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Peyton Watson are all going to have to play major minutes in the playoffs and teams will force them to shoot.
They’re all capable of making threes, but it’s not their forte. None of them are looking for shots and letting it fly with confidence, except for Russ - who should be the last guy the Nuggets want to see shooting the ball.
As a team, the Nuggets shoot a solid percentage from distance, but their volume is a major concern. They still attempt the fewest threes per game and a lot of the shots only come because these players are constantly left open.
Teams aren’t respecting the “shooters”, so they aren’t creating any floor spacing. This all leads to a packed paint that gives Jokic no room to operate. It’s a serious problem and it’s hard to imagine finding a solution this season. This will be the biggest thing the Nuggets need to overcome in the playoffs or they’ll quickly be eliminated.