It was hard to watch Jamal Murray struggle as he did in the Nuggets’ ugly playoff loss to the Timberwolves a few weeks ago. Murray has shouldered a lot of the blame, and rightfully so, but you can’t ignore the team’s lack of real ball-handling options.
The team boldly let Russell Westbrook walk and didn’t bring in a true backup point guard to replace him. They thought they’d get some playmaking from Christian Braun, Cam Johnson, and Bruce Brown. And while they did, it wasn’t enough, and it was probably never realistic to rely on those guys for major on-ball reps in the playoffs.
That reality has been exposed even further by watching the Western Conference Finals. Seeing how the Thunder and Spurs hound each other all over the court for 48 minutes a night is evidence of just how important it is to have multiple guards who can handle the ball and run the offense. The Nuggets have one. It ended badly against Minnesota, and likely would have looked even worse against Oklahoma City or San Antonio.
Those teams come at you in waves and do everything to take away your main handler. The Spurs throw Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, De’Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, and others at you, while the Thunder have the likes of Cason Wallace, Lu Dort, Alex Caruso, and more.
The Nuggets badly need more ball-handling
There’s nowhere to hide out there, and there have to be multiple ways to get into the offense. The Nuggets don’t have that at all, and they need some counters. They brought in Tyus Jones late in the season off the scrap heap, and even that made a difference. But they can, and must, do much better.
Regardless of what other moves are made around the roster, adding guard depth and a legitimate backup point guard specifically has to be a huge priority this offseason. They don’t necessarily have to invest in a big star or completely reshape the whole depth, but they have to have at least three perimeter players whom you trust with the ball in their hands, bringing it up the court in the playoffs against an elite defense.
That’s what it takes these days, and it’s simply not something the Nuggets have. Nikola Jokic can make up for a lot, especially in the halfcourt, but that’s not a real solution. They can’t ignore this position any longer. They can’t patch it up with band-aids like Westbrook. And they can’t pretend that Jalen Pickett is the answer.
The Nuggets need to get Jamal Murray some help and diversify this backcourt if they want any chance of competing against teams like the Thunder and Spurs any time soon.
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