5 reasons Nuggets should be panicking after nightmare game 2 loss to Timberwolves

Reason #5: Wolves’ role players dominating on both ends

Compounding the struggles of the Nuggets’ stars, they’re getting very little from the role players. On the other side, the Wolves role players have been excellent. Mike Conley has been the steady leader on the floor, Nickeil Alexander-Walker has been menacing on Jamal Murray, Jaden McDaniels is wreaking havoc all over the place, and even Kyle Anderson and Monte Morris have looked good for the Wolves.

Then there’s Naz Reid. Beyond Ant and KAT, you could make a case that Reid has been the third-best player in this series. He’s been his usual stellar self on offense, but he’s picked it up on defense in a remarkable way, more than holding his own on Jokic. I know I showed this sequence earlier and guess what, I'm showing it again from another angle. It was that damn good.

Meanwhile, the Denver role players have been shrinking. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope doesn’t look fully healthy and he’s been having a tough go of it on both ends. The bench players have mostly looked like deer in the headlights, with Christian Braun and Peyton Watson contributing almost nothing. Those two were supposed to be able to replace Bruce Brown and Jeff Green and in this series, that hasn’t been close to the case.

The Wolves’ role players are playing like stars and they’re doing it on the road. That’s scary for the Nuggets as it’s usually the opposite. So now the Nuggets are going to not only hope their guys can find their confidence on the road, but they also need the Wolves players to cool off at home.