The Nuggets have many new players coming to Denver this season, but if there’s one thing that must be the focus of training camp, it’s finding and building out a defensive identity. Between Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, the team has a clear identity that revolves around offense.
As long as those players are in Denver, the team will have an elite offense, and the complementary players and guys they’ve added this offseason should only enhance that and make the offense that much more unstoppable.
But where things will get interesting is on the defensive end, where the Nuggets have struggled in the last couple of years. Jokic is far from a great rim protector, and Murray is hardly a perimeter stopper, so they need to find other ways to make their mark on that end of the floor.
Guys like Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and other role players are solid to good defenders, but it hasn’t been enough to get the job done the last couple of years. The offense won’t be a concern, but if they’re going to get back to the promised land, it’s going to take a better defense.
David Adelman needs to build a new defense
Michael Malone couldn’t put the pieces together, but now David Adelman and his staff have a fresh chance at a new start. That begins in training camp by building a new culture, new schemes, and new assignments.
There is some new personnel to play with, and hopefully, the new coaching staff that also features Jared Dudley can get to work on that end and get the Nuggets back to being a championship-level defensive team.
With the new additions, they should have the personnel, but they have to be connected, and they’re going to have to make it work around Jokic and Murray. If they can’t do that, it won’t matter how good the offense is. Teams with below-average defense simply don’t win championships.
But if the new staff and this revamped roster can get started early and build up an above-average defense, the offense should be more than good enough to carry this team to where they want to go.