Nuggets set to historically decimate competition in one very specific way

The Nuggets are set to be an excellent and very well-balanced team in a lot of ways, but they should be historically dominant when it comes to points in the paint, specifically non-rim attempts. Essentially, this factors in any paint shot that isn’t a dunk or layup, so floaters, push shots, hooks, and short jumpers and set shots.

To the surprise of nobody, Nikola Jokic is the most efficient player at converting these shots in the history of the NBA, but what may raise some eyebrows is that second place in that category belongs to Jonas Valanciunas.

When weighing career points on those types of shots and the field goal percentage on such attempts, Jokic stands far above the all-time competition, with a +15.51% relative to league average. But somewhat shockingly, newly acquired Denver Nugget, Valanciunas, is second all-time at 9.31%.

For some historical reference, Joe Johnson is third on the list, Chris Paul is fourth, and Kawhi Leonard is fifth. There are only 25 players ever with a rate over +5%.

Nuggets going to destroy teams inside

This means that the Nuggets are likely going to have one of the top two most efficient inside scorers in the history of the NBA on the floor at all times, and sometimes both. That’s not even factoring in the damage Aaron Gordon will do and the various dunks and layups that Jokic and others will generate.

This half-court offense is going to be a buzz saw, and when things break down, Denver is always going to have the option of throwing it inside to Jokic or Valanciunas, and letting them take a shot that they’ve all but mastered.

It’s not sexy, but it’s a sort of cheat code, almost like Steph Curry being able to launch threes at any time. The Nuggets are going to have a lot of ways to beat teams this season, but bludgeoning them to death with the two European giants will certainly be one way to do it.

Playing two bigs may unlock doors for Denver

With Jokic’s perimeter abilities and Valanciunas’ strengths as a passer, it will be fascinating to see how much David Adelman attempts to play both at once. It may get tricky on defense, but few teams have the ability to cover one of these guys, let alone two.

The Nuggets should be able to score at will around the rim, and on the rare occasion when they miss shots, one of Joker or Val is prone to clean it up and put it in anyway. It’s a rare dimension in today’s NBA, but the Nuggets have the chance to bring back the twin towers and have great success with it.