The sample size is small, but the results are ridiculous; through three home games, the Nuggets have yet to trail in Ball Arena, producing three consecutive wire-to-wire victories to start the season. For a bit of context, last season, Denver accomplished this feat just five times over the course of the entire 82-game season.
Thanks to the altitude, the Nuggets have always enjoyed a great advantage playing at home, but now things are working in their favor more than ever. The team is very good and is drawing a great crowd to cheer them on, and it finally feels like they are built for Denver.
Nikola Jokic has always wanted to play extremely fast, despite his lack of physical speed. His vision is next-level, and he’s constantly seeing the game faster than anyone else out there. He wants to pass and push the ball up the court, beating defenses up the floor and creating advantages and easy baskets.
He has become famously meme-able for attempting to get the ball in quickly after a turnover, sometimes appearing visibly annoyed with officials for delaying his attempts to inbound the basketball and trigger a fast break.
Nuggets team is deep enough to withstand the elements
But Jokic hasn’t had a team that can keep up with his desired speed in ages - if ever. Now, the team can go 10 and 12 deep on any given night, and the deep bench allows for short, energetic bursts without risk of fatigue.
The Nuggets have the advantage of acclimating to Denver and should naturally be better equipped to handle the elements, but playing fast and having one of the deepest teams in the league only amplifies that advantage.
This team comes at you in waves, with two great passing and rebounding big men and athletic guards and wings who can shoot and get up and down the floor. They have two outstanding young transition players in Christian Braun and Peyton Watson, and skilled marksman everywhere else.
Throw in Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas to start the break and clean up the glass, and you’ve got a recipe for a team that can be a juggernaut in Denver, and that’s exactly what we’ve seen so far. Granted, it has only been three games, and the opponents have been the Suns, Pelicans, and Kings.
Those teams aren’t exactly world-beaters, so let’s see how it goes against stiffer competition very soon. But it doesn’t seem like a fluke that the Nuggets are able to pounce on teams that come to town, get out to a big early lead, and never look back.