Through their first eight games of the season, the Nuggets have held a lead for an absurd 86.8% of the time. That’s the second most by any team through the first eight games in the last 20 seasons. Denver has dominated at home, nearly leading for every second, and their two losses have been a last-second fall in Portland and an overtime letdown in Golden State.
But for every single minute of the season, the Nuggets have been, at worst, in the game, generally leading, and often times completely blowing their opponents out of the water. It just goes to show that this squad has an extremely high ceiling and perhaps, an even more impressive floor.
Nobody is expecting the Nuggets to sustain this pace all season, but it shows that, unlike in years past, this team is deep and shouldn’t suffer many letdowns. Sure, they’re still figuring out how to succeed when Nikola Jokic sits, but they’ve got the personnel to get it done now.
They have a legitimate backup option at every position, including a really good one at center in Jonas Valanciunas. The starters should be able to build leads early, and the bench should be able to maintain the lead and even expand on it.
Nuggets’ bench should be among league’s best
Conversely, if the Nuggets get off to a slow start or find themselves in a tight battle, the bench may be able to lift them up. If not building upon or seizing a lead, the bench units should at least not be getting decimated. That’s what the Nuggets have been battling with in recent years, and it has forced Jokic to compete against a stacked deck.
As long as Denver can survive the minutes without Jokic on the floor, they are going to be in just about every game. Jokic routinely wins his minutes, generally dominating. Breaking even or keeping it close while he sits would be a huge win; winning those minutes would be a luxury that would make them nearly unbeatable.
We’ll see how long they are able to keep this up, but so far, the team is healthy, and the depth has allowed everyone to stay fresh. A lot of players haven’t even hit their stride yet, so there’s reason to believe this will only look better with time. If David Adelman can get this roster firing on all cylinders, the sky is the limit.