Things were looking good for the Nuggets after three quarters on Friday night. They held a 10-point lead in their NBA Cup opener in Portland heading into the fourth, but came apart on the defensive end, allowing the Blazers to explode for 38 points in the final frame, ultimately beating the Nuggets 109-107.
The Blazers are a nice up-and-coming team, with solid defenders, but they don’t have the offensive firepower to be doing this to a good defensive team. Which can only lead to the conclusion that right now, the Nuggets are not a good defensive team.
The good news is that we’re barely a week into the season, and the Nuggets have played just five games. There are a lot of new faces in the rotation, and an entirely new coaching staff, so it makes sense that things will take some time to gel. They’re off to a 3-2 start, so it’s not like the sky is falling, but this quarter was pretty gruesome to watch.
The bad news is that this isn’t a new problem. Denver has struggled for years on the defensive end, and the guys they brought in aren’t exactly known for their prowess on that end of the floor. We’ve heard about scheme changes and heightened physicality and aggressiveness, but so far we haven’t really seen it, and it may just be a personnel issue.
Nuggets must find a way to get stops down the stretch
Realistically, the Nuggets probably aren’t going to be an elite defense, but they are going to have to at least be good. Historically, it’s hard to win a title without a top 10 defense, and the Nuggets were able to get there in 2023 when they won it all.
But that team had a true stopper in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and they made up for weaknesses with elite rebounding. This season, things could be tougher. Christian Braun is a good defender, but not a true ace, and may be overtasked with the top assignment on a nightly basis.
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have never been known for defense, and that’s not going to change any time soon. The new additions are more offense-first players as well, which puts a lot on the plates of guys like Peyton Watson and Aaron Gordon.
A scheme can only account for so much if the players aren’t fully able to execute it. It’s too early to panic, and overall, things have been solid. They’re fourth in defensive rating on the season, and even on Friday night, they held the Blazers under 20 in two quarters.
But their warts were exposed at the worst time, and this loss will sting a little bit. It was a painful reminder that the Nuggets are going to have to maintain a high level of defense if they want to be serious contenders.