All the talk is about the Nuggets being in shambles after their troubling loss to the Knicks on Monday night. The team came out flat and got stomped in Ball Arena, losing 145-118 in front of their home fans.
After the game, it was all about their lack of effort, physicality, leadership, and focus. It was evident from watching the game, but if not, the coaches and players were quick to point it out in their press conferences.
It became abundantly clear that there are some problems going on in Denver and Michael Malone, Jamal Murray, and Nikola Jokic pointed them out in detail after the game. The lack of focus and effort is extremely concerning for a team that should be gelling and rounding into form as the season goes on.
But if anything, it looks like the opposite is happening. There’s no excuse to mail in a game like this, at home against a good team. Overall, it’s not a huge deal in the long span of an NBA season, but this has happened multiple times and is becoming a trend that needs fixing immediately.
Russell Westbrook brought everything the Nuggets were lacking
However, there was one player on the Nuggets who wasn’t lacking in effort in any way; Russell Westbrook. Despite the way the entire Nuggets team was playing, and the fact they were getting thoroughly dominated, Westbrook put forth maximum effort until the final whistle, scoring a career-high 24 points in the 4th quarter.
We shouldn’t lose sight of this even in the midst of a horrible loss. All of the things that were lacking from the Nuggets’ team on Monday were on full display by Russ. His effort, leadership, and physicality jumped off the screen.
This is exactly what the Nuggets brought Westbrook in for - to set the right example. On a night when nobody else showed up, Russ did everything you’d want. He was leading with his play and vocally - as Malone noted after the game.
On a night when it looked like many of the players didn’t feel like moving, Russ was flying up and down the court. The Nuggets are getting ripped apart from all angles, and rightfully so. But Westbrook deserves a ton of credit for refusing to roll over and for playing hard and playing the right way for 48 minutes.