It wasn't pretty when the Denver Nuggets got taken out of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. The Nuggets looked pretty bad, and many were calling for changes. But the Nuggets probably don't need to make as many changes as you might think, especially after one anonymous Western Conference rival executive shared their thoughts on the team.
Yes, the run-it-back plan still makes the Nuggets "a dangerous team," according to the notes Spotrac's Keith Smith provided recently.
"Way too many people are writing them off," a rival Western Conference GM said. "They still have (Nikola), Jokic, (Jamal) Murray, (Aaron) Gordon, and good role players. If they can get (Christian) Braun back on track, and keep (Peyton) Watson, that's still a really, really dangerous team," Smith wrote.
I would have to agree. Sure, the Nuggets looked terrible against the Timberwolves, but when you consider what they were missing in that series—Gordon and Watson —you can start to connect the dots on what this GM was thinking.
The Nuggets were without their best defenders, and Braun was hurt
Without Gordon and Watson, the Nuggets were missing not only the glue guy and defender in Gordon, but their best wing defender was out in Watson. And their best perimeter guard defender, Braun, was playing on an injured ankle that hadn't fully healed yet, affecting his ability on both offense and defense.
The result? The defensive-deficient rest of the backcourt allowed everyone on the Timberwolves to get to the rim, making even Ayo Dosunmu look like prime Kobe making his way to the hoop. And because of poor scheming from Nuggets head coach David Adelman, the Nuggets had no answer to stop any guard or wing.
The Nuggets found defensive help on the sidelines
The Nuggets went out and solved that little problem this offseason, which could turn into one of the better, if not the best, decisions of the offseason if new assistant coach hire Dave Joerger can turn the defensive scheming around. Adelman looked lost at times against the Timberwolves, and with Joerger, he'll at least have a veteran voice in his ear, and hopefully someone he leaves the defense to, like a defensive coordinator in football.
Joerger turned around the Memphis Grizzlies from a 25th-ranked defensive team to a 2nd-ranked defensive team in three years. And while his teams may have had more defensive talent than the Nuggets, it's still a huge difference that can't be overlooked and can't be totally supported by the players simply improving. That's scheming, and that will be huge for the Nuggets this year.
As the Western Conference GM said. This can still be a "dangerous" team. But the Nuggets can't make a trade to duck the taxes to do it. They have to keep this team intact to stay so "dangerous."
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