The dust is starting to settle from the crazy final week of the NBA regular season that saw the Nuggets clean house, firing head coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth. The team rebounded, won their final three games, and now must prepare for a gauntlet of a playoff run that begins with a difficult matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers.
There are so many angles and games within the game to break down in this series, but a lot of it just boils down to the ability of Denver to stop James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. Defense has been a major weakness for the Nuggets all season, and they haven’t been able to stop perimeter creators from penetrating and scoring, or setting up easy baskets with any real success.
Kawhi and Harden have been around forever, and there is endless film to watch on these guys, but that hardly simulates preparation to actually face them in a series. The teams met four times this year, but Leonard didn’t play in a single one of those games. So, how are the Nuggets preparing to face this beast from LA?
Nuggets using 2-Way players to simulate Harden and Kawhi
The Nuggets are taking a page from some other teams and having some of their backups try to simulate the Clippers' stars. Specifically, they are using a pair of players on two-way contracts, with Spencer Jones playing the role of Leonard and Trey Alexander taking the Harden role for Nuggets practice.
Alexander was just named the G-League Rookie of the Year, and at 6’4”, he can at least simulate some of the things Harden can do on the court. He’s a tall(ish) guard who can score and create for others, but nobody has the mastery of Harden to manipulate defenders, draw fouls, throw perfect dimes, and hit stepback threes.
Jones has a similar body type to Kawhi and has a somewhat similar game, albeit a much lesser version. He has the size to play inside and out and can shoot a bit, but he’s not exactly a maestro in isolations, pull-up jumpers, or beating his guy off the dribble.
Obviously, there is no way to replicate what players like Harden and Leonard can do on the court, but this is an interesting and resourceful approach by the Nuggets. It may not work, but they don’t have many better options within their building.
Hopefully, even with lesser skill, these guys can simulate what the Clips’ offense will look like and give the Denver defense some practice at being in the right position and making the right reads. They aren’t going to stop those guys, but if they can contain them, that may just be enough to win the series.