Against the New Orleans Pelicans in the home opener at Ball Arena, the Denver Nuggets' defense looked like a mirror image of what fans saw at the end of last season against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the playoffs. It was a layup line, and the transition defense was nonexistent, too. But after the non-Jokic minutes sparked a little run, the Nuggets' defense turned into a juggernaut. And head coach David Adelman needs to try it out again against the Golden State Warriors to see if that lineup can continue its defensive dominance.
Sure, the energy was lacking for three and a half quarters. But when the unit of Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, Jamal Murray, and rookie Trevon Brazile turned up the heat, they looked like an All-NBA Defensive First Team quintet, playing suffocating defense.
The Nuggets finished the quarter with a 69.2 defensive rating, but Jokic had a 50.0 from the time he checked back in. And the quintet had a 75.0 rating in overtime, too. After Jokic checked back in for the final 7:19 of the fourth quarter, the Pelicans only scored 8 more points in the frame on 1-of-8 shooting, and the Nuggets forced 5 Pelicans turnovers. And in overtime, the Pelicans shot just 1-of-11.
Brazile made the big lineup work with ease
Whatever it was that sparked Jokic to play defense like we haven't seen in a while, it worked. Whether it was the boos or whether it was Brazile's infectious energy, the three-time MVP was all over. Jokic had 3 blocks over the final 12 minutes, and he had a pivotal trap along with Brazile to force a turnover in the final seconds to force overtime. Jokic looked great over that stretch.
But what made the "big" lineup work, with AG at the four and Brazile at the three, was Brazile's length. Brazile took away passing lanes and made two incredible leaping blocks on three-point attempts that NBA fans are only used to seeing Victor Wembanyama do. Brazile listened to instructions from AG and Jokic on where to be, and he tied the defense together. You could see his basketball IQ growing by the minute.
Brazil could help with zone coverage on the perimeter and down low in the post, and the Nuggets continuously pressured the Pelicans with double teams. Braun was able to pressure the wing with Brazile, and if Brazile was out of place, his athleticism made up for it. That aggressive style of defense by the Nuggets needs to make a reappearance to start the game against the Warriors rather than just show up at the end of the game.
It's imperative that the Nuggets test this lineup until Cameron Johnson returns from injury. The defense was fun to watch over the final 12 minutes, and Adelman needs to try it out again in the next game against the Warriors.
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